How to Exchange Line and Instagram in Chinese

In Taiwan, when people exchange contact information, you’ll often hear:

要不要加 Line？
ㄧㄠˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄧㄠˋ ㄐㄧㄚ Line？
yào bù yào jiā Line?
→ “Do you want to add me on Line?”

Let’s explore how to say this naturally in Chinese, what it means culturally, and how Line and Instagram are used in Taiwan.

What Is Line?

Line is a Japanese messaging app launched in 2011. It became Japan’s dominant communication tool and quickly spread to Taiwan, South Korea, and Thailand, where it remains the most widely used messaging app.

In Taiwan, everyone uses Line — from students and coworkers to teachers and even grandparents. It’s used not only for chatting but also for sending cute stickers (貼圖／ㄊㄧㄝ ㄊㄨˊ／tiē tú), making group calls, and sharing photos.

Line also offers many extra services, such as Line Pay (賴付／ㄌㄞˋ ㄈㄨˋ／lài fù), which works like AliPay (支付寶) in China, and Line Taxi, Line Today (news), and Line Music.

In short, Line is not just a chat app — it’s an important part of daily life in Taiwan.

Saying “Line” in Chinese

Interestingly, Taiwanese people sometimes use the character 「賴」 (ㄌㄞˋ / lài) to represent Line in writing or speech, especially in informal contexts.

For example, instead of saying “加 Line,” you might hear:

「加賴」
ㄐㄧㄚ ㄌㄞˋ
jiā lài
→ “Add (me on) Line.”

This is because 「賴」 sounds like “Line” when pronounced in Taiwanese-accented Mandarin. You’ll see this a lot in text messages or social media posts.

Common Ways to Exchange Line

1. 你有 Line 嗎？
ㄋㄧˇ ㄧㄡˇ Line ㄇㄚ˙？
nǐ yǒu Line ma?
→ “Do you have Line?”

2. 我可以加你 Line 嗎？
ㄨㄛˇ ㄎㄜˇ ㄧˇ ㄐㄧㄚ ㄋㄧˇ Line ㄇㄚ˙？
wǒ kě yǐ jiā nǐ Line ma?
→ “Can I add you on Line?”

3. 加一下賴。
ㄐㄧㄚ ㄧˊ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄌㄞˋ。
jiā yí xià lài.
→ “Let’s add each other on Line.” (very natural Taiwanese usage)

Exchanging Instagram

Sometimes, when you get closer to someone, they might offer to exchange Instagram as well.

In Taiwan, adding Line feels more formal, while sharing Instagram feels more casual or social. Instagram is the most widely used social media app in among the younger Taiwanese population (the older generation still using Facebook).

Here’s how to talk about Instagram in Mandarin:

1. 你有 IG 嗎？
ㄋㄧˇ ㄧㄡˇ IG ㄇㄚ˙？
nǐ yǒu IG ma?
→ “Do you have Instagram?”

💡 Fun fact: In Taiwan, people usually pronounce “IG” as 「ㄞ ㄐㄩ」(āi jǖ) — not “A-I-gee.”

So when you hear someone say 「你有ㄞㄐㄩ嗎？」, they’re asking for your Instagram!

2. 我可以追蹤你嗎？
ㄨㄛˇ ㄎㄜˇ ㄧˇ ㄓㄨㄟ ㄗㄨㄥ ㄋㄧˇ ㄇㄚ˙？
wǒ kě yǐ zhuī zōng nǐ ma?
→ “Can I follow you?”

3. 我追蹤你！
ㄨㄛˇ ㄓㄨㄟ ㄗㄨㄥ ㄋㄧˇ！
wǒ zhuī zōng nǐ!
→ “I’ll follow you!”

Cultural Tip: Line vs. Instagram in Taiwan

Platform	When to Exchange	What It Means
Line / 賴 (ㄌㄞˋ)	Early on — even when you just met	Casual, practical way to stay in touch or coordinate plans
Instagram / IG (ㄞ ㄐㄩ)	After becoming friends or feeling more comfortable	A sign of closer friendship or interest — you want to know more about each other

So, if someone says:

「加 IG 好了～」(jiā IG hǎo le／ㄐㄧㄚ IG ㄏㄠˇ ㄌㄜ˙)

“Let’s connect on IG~”

…it often means they’re happy to stay in touch more personally, beyond just chatting.

Bonus Vocabulary

Word	Bopomofo	Pinyin	Meaning
賴	ㄌㄞˋ	lài	Line (informal Taiwanese slang)
加好友	ㄐㄧㄚ ㄏㄠˇ ㄧㄡˇ	jiā hǎo yǒu	to add (someone) as a friend
掃 QR Code	ㄙㄠˇ QR Code	sǎo QR Code	to scan a QR code
貼圖	ㄊㄧㄝ ㄊㄨˊ	tiē tú	sticker (on Line)
聯絡方式	ㄌㄧㄢˊ ㄌㄨㄛˋ ㄈㄤ ㄕˋ	lián luò fāng shì	contact info
賴付	ㄌㄞˋ ㄈㄨˋ	lài fù	Line Pay
追蹤	ㄓㄨㄟ ㄗㄨㄥ	zhuī zōng	to follow (online)

Example Dialogue

A: 你有 Line 嗎？
(nǐ yǒu Line ma?)
→ Do you have Line?

B: 有啊，加賴！
(yǒu a, jiā lài!)
→ Yeah, add me on Line!

A: 還是你比較常用 IG？
(hái shì nǐ bǐ jiào cháng yòng IG?)
→ Or do you use Instagram more often?

B: 我都有～你追蹤我吧！
(wǒ dōu yǒu ~ nǐ zhuī zōng wǒ ba!)
→ I use both~ follow me!

Summary

• Line (賴) is the most common way to exchange contact info in Taiwan.
• IG (ㄞ ㄐㄩ) is shared when you’ve become friends or want to know each other more personally.
• “加賴” (jiā lài) = add me on Line, while “追蹤我” (zhuī zōng wǒ) = follow me on Instagram.

So next time you meet someone new in Taiwan, you can say:

「要不要加賴？」(yào bù yào jiā lài?) → “Do you want to add me on Line?”

And later, when you’re closer:

「我追蹤你 IG！」(wǒ zhuī zōng nǐ IG!) → “I’ll follow you on Instagram!”