Taiwanese phrases

How to say “Sorry; excuse me” in Taiwanese

漢字

歹勢

台羅 Tâi-lô

pháinn-sè

白話字 Pe̍h-ōe-jī

Pháiⁿ-sè

Pronunciation

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Sorry; excuse me” in Taiwanese (Taiwanese Hokkien, Tâi-gí) is 歹勢, romanized as pháinn-sè in Tâi-lô and Pháiⁿ-sè in the traditional Pe̍h-ōe-jī spelling. Press play above to hear it, then try saying it yourself.

The all-purpose soft apology: squeezing past someone, interrupting, small mistakes, even fishing for a favor. Possibly the single most useful word in daily Taiwanese.

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