Money in Chinese: Prices, 塊 and 元 in Taiwan

In Taiwan you say prices with 塊 (kuài, ㄎㄨㄞˋ) and write them with 元 (yuán, ㄩㄢˊ). A bowl of noodles that costs NT$120 is 一百二十塊 when you speak and 120元 on the sign, and the currency is the New Taiwan Dollar, 新臺幣 (xīn táibì), usually written NT$ and often called 台幣 (táibì) in conversation. To ask the price, say 這個多少錢？ (Zhège duōshǎo qián?, “How much is this?”).

This page covers the words for money and prices, how to read prices that drop the unit, how 萬 shows up in rent and salaries, how the 折 discount system works, and what the clerk is asking when they mention 發票 and 統編. For the digits themselves, see Chinese Numbers.

塊, 元 and 圓

All three mean “dollar”, at different levels of formality.

Word	Pinyin	Where you meet it
塊	kuài	Spoken, everyday: 五十塊
元	yuán	Written prices and formal speech: 50元
圓	yuán	The formal form printed on banknotes and coins

The dictionary lists 塊 (kuài) as a measure word for money, “equivalent to 元”, with the example 十塊錢. It lists 元 (yuán) as a monetary unit worth ten 角, and 圓 (yuán) as a currency name, also worth ten 角. In daily Taiwan shopping you only need 塊 and 元. Shop prices are in whole dollars, so you will not use the smaller units 角 and 毛 when paying. 毛 turns up mainly in set phrases such as 一毛錢都沒有 (“not a cent”).

You can also say 錢 (qián, “money”) on its own: 我沒有錢 (wǒ méiyǒu qián, “I have no money”), 零錢 (língqián, “small change”) and 現金 (xiànjīn, “cash”).

Asking and saying prices

Phrase	Pinyin	Meaning
這個多少錢？	Zhège duōshǎo qián?	How much is this?
一共多少錢？	Yígòng duōshǎo qián?	How much in total?
多少錢 / 幾塊？	duōshǎo qián / jǐ kuài	How much? (幾塊 implies a small amount)
太貴了	tài guì le	Too expensive
有點貴	yǒudiǎn guì	A bit expensive
便宜一點	piányi yìdiǎn	A bit cheaper
免費	miǎnfèi	Free

便宜 is read pián yi in the sense of “cheap”. The dictionary also lists biàn yí, with senses such as “convenient” and “suitable”. 貴 (guì) is “expensive”.

Numbers in prices follow the rules in Chinese Numbers, including this spoken shortcut: the unit after the last digit can disappear. 一百二 is 120, 兩百五 is 250, and 一千五 is 1,500. With the unit, 一百二十塊 and 一千五百塊 are also fine. For 2 in front of a unit, use 兩: 兩百塊, 兩千塊, but 二十塊 for 20. The 二/兩 distinction is in 二 vs 兩.

NT$ and the dollar sign

Prices appear as NT$120, $120 or 120元. In writing NT$ is the unambiguous form, and in Taiwan a bare ”$” on a price tag normally means NT dollars. Say 台幣 or 新台幣 when you need to separate NT dollars from US dollars (美金, měijīn, “US dollars”) or other currencies. The dictionary and official usage write 新臺幣, with 臺, the standard form of 台.

萬 for rent, salary and big purchases

Anything above NT$10,000 is spoken with 萬 (wàn), and the habit is to drop the last unit. Rent of NT$25,000 is 兩萬五, 18,000 is 一萬八, and a monthly salary of NT$40,000 is 四萬. One million is 一百萬. Words you will meet with these: 房租 (fángzū, “rent”) and 租金 (zūjīn, “rent payment”, MOE: the price agreed for renting), 月薪 (yuèxīn, “monthly pay”) and 薪水 (xīnshuǐ, “salary”).

A reminder of the grouping. 25,000 is 2萬5千, so 兩萬五千 in full. A figure like 120,000 is 12萬, 十二萬. If you are renting in Taipei, our housing guide covers the practical side, and a listing that says 兩萬五 is NT$25,000, not 2,500.

Paying

Phrase	Pinyin	Meaning
可以刷卡嗎？	Kěyǐ shuā kǎ ma?	Can I pay by card?
可以用悠遊卡嗎？	Kěyǐ yòng yōuyóu kǎ ma?	Can I use EasyCard?
我付現金	Wǒ fù xiànjīn	I’ll pay cash
有零錢嗎？	Yǒu língqián ma?	Do you have change?
找您五十塊	Zhǎo nín wǔshí kuài	Here is NT$50 change

找錢 (zhǎo qián) is “to give change”, and 收 (shōu) is “to receive”: a clerk may say 收你一百，找你二十 (shōu nǐ yì bǎi, zhǎo nǐ èrshí, “I received 100, here is 20 change”). That pattern saves you from doing the maths in your head. The EasyCard 悠遊卡 is a stored-value card used on public transport and in many shops, and the choice of mobile payment varies by shop, so ask 可以用手機付嗎？ if you want to try (Kěyǐ yòng shǒujī fù ma?, “Can I pay by phone?”). A fuller guide to getting around is in Taipei Public Transportation for Language Students.

Discounts: how 折 works

This is where English speakers get the maths wrong. In Chinese, the 折 (zhé) number is the share you pay, counted in tenths.

Phrase	Pinyin	You pay	You save
打九折	dǎ jiǔ zhé	90%	10%
打八折	dǎ bā zhé	80%	20%
打七折	dǎ qī zhé	70%	30%
打五折	dǎ wǔ zhé	50%	50%
八五折	bā wǔ zhé	85%	15%

So 打八折 is 20% off, and 打八折 on NT$500 means you pay NT$400. 打折 (dǎzhé) is “to discount”. The dictionary defines 折扣 (zhékòu) as a reduction from the listed price. A lower number means a bigger discount, which is the reverse of an English “80% off” sign, so check the number twice before you assume a bargain.

Other sale words: 特價 (tèjià, “special price”), 優惠 (yōuhuì, “offer”), 買一送一 (mǎi yī sòng yī, “buy one, get one free”).

Prices in convenience stores and chain shops are fixed. In a night market or a small shop you might ask 可以算便宜一點嗎？ (Kěyǐ suàn piányi yìdiǎn ma?, “Can you make it a bit cheaper?”), most reasonably when you are buying several items. It is not an expectation, and many stalls will say no. Take the answer easily. For more shopping language at stalls, see Ordering Food in Taiwan.

Receipts: 統一發票

At the till in Taiwan you will often hear 要發票嗎？ (Yào fāpiào ma?, “Do you want a receipt?”). 發票 (fāpiào) is an invoice or receipt, and 統一發票 (tǒngyī fāpiào) is the uniform invoice, which the dictionary explains is the standard receipt that businesses use so the government can tax from it. These receipts carry numbers that can win prizes in a lottery drawn every two months, which is why people keep them or store them electronically.

Two other questions come with it. 要打統編嗎？ (Yào dǎ tǒngbiān ma?) asks whether you want a company tax ID (統一編號) printed, which matters if you are buying for a business. 有載具嗎？ (Yǒu zàijù ma?) asks whether you have an electronic receipt carrier, such as a mobile barcode, to store the receipt without paper. If you do not use either, 不用 (bú yòng, “no need”) or 不用了 is a polite reply.

The invoice period on a receipt uses the 民國 year, so a receipt printed in late 2026 would show 115, as explained in Dates and Time in Chinese.

Practise it

Read prices out loud when you shop, then convert them: 135 is 一百三十五, and 1,280 is 一千兩百八十. Textbook practice on prices is in Dangdai Book 1 Lesson 4, and a small stall dialogue goes like this.

• 老闆，這個多少錢？ (Lǎobǎn, zhège duōshǎo qián?)
• 六十五塊。 (Liùshíwǔ kuài.)
• 兩個一共多少？ (Liǎng ge yígòng duōshǎo?)
• 一百三。 (Yì bǎi sān.)

Red envelope amounts have their own rules, covered in Chinese Homophones and Lucky Numbers.

Related reading

• Chinese Numbers: 1–10, Big Numbers and 萬
• Ordering Food in Taiwan: The Mandarin You Actually Need
• Dangdai Book 1 Lesson 4: Shopping, Prices & Study Guide
• Dates and Time in Chinese, Plus Taiwan’s 民國 Year