Basic time: Time

💬 The word [今] means 'current' or 'present', making [今天] literally 'present day'.

🇹🇼 The concept of time is very important in Taiwan. People take punctuality seriously.

💬 The character [明] also means 'bright'. [明天] metaphorically refers to 'the bright day ahead'.

🇹🇼 Planning ahead is common in Taiwan, and discussing plans for [明天] is a part of daily conversation.

💬 [後] means 'after', so [後天] is literally 'after tomorrow'.

🇹🇼 In Taiwanese culture, many events are discussed with respect to [後天] because people like preparing in advance.

💬 [昨] means 'past', so [昨天] is directly translated to 'past day'.

🇹🇼 Reflecting on [昨天] or the past is often done during meals with family and friends.

💬 [小時] comes from [小] meaning 'small' and [時] meaning 'time', so it's like 'a small segment of time'.

🇹🇼 In Taiwan, people frequently talk about time in terms of [小時] to express durations, such as travel times.

💬 The term [分鐘] combines [分] 'part' or 'divide', and [鐘] 'clock'.

🇹🇼 In Taiwan, being a few [分鐘] late is often considered impolite in formal settings.

💬 [秒] is a very brief period of time, suggesting precision and accuracy.

🇹🇼 Taiwanese people appreciate precise timing, especially in sports and culinary arts.

💬 [晚上] derives from [晚] 'evening', and [上] 'up', implying the time after sunset until bedtime.

🇹🇼 Night markets, [夜市], are a cultural highlight during the [晚上] in Taiwan.

💬 [早] means 'early', making [早上] the time early in the day.

🇹🇼 Taiwanese enjoy [早上] activities like morning markets and exercises in parks.