What is Coca-Cola called in China?
Coca Cola in Chinese is 可口可乐 (Kěkǒukělè). The Chinese characters literally mean “to permit the mouth to be able to rejoice”.
檸(ling2) is short for 檸檬(ling4 mung1), "lemon"; and 樂(lok6) is short for "Coca-Cola," 可樂 (ho2 lok6).
| Restaurants | Edit |
|---|---|
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) | 20.00¥ |
| Cappuccino (regular) | 25.13¥ |
| Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) | 3.37¥ |
| Water (12 oz small bottle) | 2.15¥ |
Coca‑Cola is one of the most well-known international brands in China. We have more than 15 brands and offer over 50 beverage choices to Chinese consumers, who enjoy 150 million servings across the country every single day.
The Coca-Cola Co is the leading soft drink company in China in 2021 by volume (FY2021). It is a producer, distributor, and marketer of non-alcoholic beverages.
But did you know that 宝⻢ (precious horse) now translates to BMW? Over the past few years BMW China has cleverly played with its Chinese name (宝马 Bao Ma) to emotionally engage with the public during the Chinese New Year festival, spreading joy and the emotional benefit that sits at the heart of BMW's brand.
零系可口可樂 (ling4 hai6 ho2 hau2 ho2 lok6 | ) : Coca-Cola Zero - CantoDict. Mirroring the English, this can be called 可樂零 for short. This term is used in both Cantonese and Mandarin/Standard written Chinese.
汽水 (hei3 seoi2 | qi4 shui3) : soft drink; soda; pop - CantoDict. This term is used in both Cantonese and Mandarin/Standard written Chinese.
蜜糖 (mat6 tong4 | mi4 tang2) : honey - CantoDict.
In China, when Coca Cola had to translate its name in Mandarin, they chose 'Ke-Kou-Ke-La', very unwisely because it meant, “bite the wax tadpole” or “a female horse stuffed with wax”.
What is the Coca-Cola water brand in China?
Coca-Cola has launched a bottled water brand in China called Ice Dew “Chun Yue,” or Pure Joy. The socially conscious brand sets aside funds to develop safe sources of drinking water for schoolchildren in rural provinces such as Yunnan and Sichuan.
During its first several decades, Coca-Cola officially wanted to be known by its full-name despite being commonly known as "Coke".
In China, the slogan was mistranslated to mean 'Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave', and in a culture where they worship their ancestors, people thought that if you drank Pepsi it could bring back the dead.
