About Guóyu!

My name is Steven, and I'm based in the UK. I have a strong interest in Asian languages, starting with Japanese, briefly exploring Korean, and ultimately focusing on Mandarin and Japanese.

During this journey, I fell in love with Taiwan - initially through Taiwanese dramas, which led me to discover Taiwanese music. I particularly enjoy bands like F.I.R, Anthelion, and Goosander.

My goal in learning Mandarin is to deepen my appreciation for Taiwanese culture, which is why I focus solely on Guóyu (國語), the term I use to refer to Mandarin as spoken in Taiwan. For me, Guóyu involves using Traditional Characters in addition to using Zhuyin/Bopomofo (although I understand the desire to use Pinyin - and believe that it is beneficial to know both notations).

In my experience, finding learning materials that align with these ideals has been challenging. Zhuyin, in particular, seems underrepresented, as most resources default to Pinyin due to the prevalence of Mainland Standard Mandarin. From my personal experience, I found that Zhuyin helped me grasp tones more effectively in comparrison to my experience using Pinyin. I found that for me at least, I would have some degree of "English Bias" when it came to reading the sounds.

I’ve noticed that learners of other Asian languages (i.e. Japanese and Korean) often abandon Romanisation entirely - which leads me to think that Zhuyin could serve as a more accurate phonetic standard across the board.

I'm actively making resources for my own use, which I share once I am happy with them. These mainly come in the form of Flashcard-esque applications, which I find suit my style of learning better.