喳喳叫 - Hated words in Mandarin | Mandarin Monkey Podcast

Mandarin Monkey Podcast

Unpleasant Sounds or Awkward Pronunciation

膩 (nì) – Greasy, overly rich (often used for food but also for excessive behavior).

黏 (nián) – Sticky, clinging (can refer to textures or overly attached people).

齁 (hōu) – Overly sweet or salty (common in Taiwanese Mandarin but sounds rough).

癢 (yǎng) – Itchy (some dislike the way it sounds when spoken).

喳喳叫 (zhā zhā jiào) – Chattering noisily (annoying both in sound and meaning).

Gross or Unpleasant Associations

痰 (tán) – Phlegm.

膿 (nóng) – Pus.

流湯 (liú tāng) – To ooze fluid (used for wounds or food, can sound disgusting).

爛 (làn) – Rotten, bad quality (commonly used to insult things or people).

發臭 (fā chòu) – To stink.

Overused or Annoying Phrases in Taiwanese Culture

馬上 (mǎ shàng) – "Right away" (often said but not always meant literally).

隨便啦 (suí biàn la) – "Whatever" (can sound dismissive or rude).

沒差啦 (méi chā la) – "Doesn’t matter" (casual, sometimes frustrating to hear).

你家在哪裡？(nǐ jiā zài nǎ lǐ?) – "Where’s your house?" (Common but feels nosy in Taiwan).

這樣可以嗎？(zhè yàng kě yǐ ma?) – "Is this okay?" (Overused in customer service settings).

Forced Taiwanese Internet Slang

母湯 (mǔ tāng) – Taiwanese Hokkien loanword meaning "don’t do that," some find it cringey.

87 (bā qī) – Internet slang for "idiot" (八七 sounds like 白癡 bái chī, meaning stupid).

安安 (ān ān) – Taiwanese internet greeting, can feel outdated.

尬聊 (gà liáo) – "Forced awkward chat" (often overused online).

好扯哦 (hǎo chě ò) – "So ridiculous!" (Overused in younger circles).

Taiwan-Specific Business or Social Annoyances

報稅 (bào shuì) – Tax filing (dreaded every year).

塞車 (sāi chē) – Traffic jam (a huge problem in Taiwan).

外送 (wài sòng) – Food delivery (used too often in daily conversation).

可以加LINE嗎？(kě yǐ jiā LINE ma?) – "Can we add each other on LINE?" (Some find it intrusive).

租屋 (zū wū) – Renting a house (frustrating for many due to high prices in Taiwan).

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