I call it Crazy English. Others call it Chinglish or Engrish. Whatever you call it, it's hilarious!
When people in China try to use English, disastrous errors often result. Enjoy a chuckle at my collection of crazy English, most of which was captured in China.
All of these photos are uploaded to Flickr. So, if you have an account, I welcome you to log in and leave comments on the photo page. My Crazy English collection is here.
Chinglish or Engrish can be the result of many things. Here is a list.
Misspellings
These are especially funny when the spelling mirrors the common incorrect pronunciation in China or when the spelling changes the meaning dramatically.
Terrible Translations
Sometimes these are so bad that the meaning is totally unclear! I find these to be the funniest examples of Chinglish.
Grammatical Errors
Let's Laugh at Ourselves
These Chinglish mistakes are shared in good humor! I've certainly made my share of mistakes in English and in Chinese. We're all human, and laughter is the best reaction to our errors.
Europe Sweat Tea
Caption Contest
Come on! Share your smart aleck reaction to this crazy menu item!
Menu and Restaurant Blunders
A Food Blunder
I was at a friend's house eating dinner. I complimented her excellent pi gu (butt) instead of her pai gu (pork ribs)! How embarrassing!
Chinglish at Amazon
Chinglish: Found in Translation
Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 07/12/2009)
Someone was smart enough to publish a whole book of his funny English found in China. Here it is!
Rambo Bread Works
Signspotting
Lonely Planet Signspotting 2 : The World's Most Absurd Signs (Lonely Planet Signspotting) (No. 2)
Amazon Price: $9.99 (as of 07/12/2009)
Concubine Pillow
caption contest
Here's one of my all time favorite Chinglish photos! Give me a funny caption for it.
Wacky Packages
Smeel Toilet Paper
Caption Contest
Satan Soup
Some ladies were giving out soup samples in paper cups to advertise a new restaurant. I thought they said it was mo gui soup -- Satan soup! I was shocked and repeated what I thought they said. They laughed at me and corrected me -- mo gu soup not mo gui soup! It was mushroom soup!
BM Club
Chinglish and Engrish Sites
- Engrish.com
- You may laugh until you cry at this site. There is a special section just for Chinglish!
Again, beware of the vulgar Engrish. It's there. - Leon's Chinglish Page
- If you're wondering about the reasoning behind so many of the Chinglish problems, this site actually dissects some examples.
Warning -- there is vulgarity on this site. - Do You Speak Chinglish?
- An article about Chinglish with a few blatant examples (warning! some are flagrantly vulgar!) and testimonies from English expatriates living in China.
Engrish Poll
Engrish
The Joys of Engrish
Amazon Price: $10.16 (as of 07/12/2009)
Other Examples of Chinglish
Flickr Groups
All of these groups publish an RSS feed. So if you want a daily dose of Chinglish, subscribe to the group's photo feed in your feed reader. You never know what you'll see!
- Chinglish
- Fine examples of Chinglish (Chinese-english).
- Engrish
- nonsensical translations and oddly named products rather than simple spleling nistakes and bad grammar in native English. Above all, it should make us laugh when we see it! :)
- Bad Menus
- Post bad restaurant menus and signs, food product packages.: Egregious misspellings, lousy visual layout, or disgusting-looking food.
- Spelling Mistakes
- This group is about capturing spelling mistakes around the world that have made their way into the public eye. (Examples include labels, flyers and road signs.)
Asia Travel Guides
Guestbook
So which crazy English example was YOUR favorite? Which one made you laugh outloud?
marc-hk
I'm an Australian living in Hong Kong and the fun nevers ends, every day, it's a blast. =)
Posted June 24, 2009
BigGirlBlue wrote...
Easy enough to do that's for sure. I don't think anyone is immune.
Posted June 16, 2009
Chadrew wrote...
I love Engrish, always gives me a good laugh. I've seen some really hilarious restaurant menus in Engrish.
Posted June 15, 2009
Jimmie wrote...
in reply to shajo You left "We use Smeel here!" on the BM Club sign! Brilliant! I love it!
Posted June 14, 2009
by Jimmie
Hello! I am a homeschooling mom who loves to teach and learn. I love the flexibility of Squidoo lenses for showing off our homeschool projects. Bloggi...
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