Crazy English

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Ranked #221 in Humor, #25,063 overall

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.

reviewed badgeChinglish 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!



Europe Sweat Tea

No need to add water!

1 point

Thirsty? Really, really thirsty?

0 points

Oh yum!

0 points

Where's the blast?

0 points

Grab this list

Menu and Restaurant Blunders 

curated content from Flickr

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 11/12/2009)Buy Now

Someone was smart enough to publish a whole book of his funny English found in China. Here it is!

Rambo Bread Works 

rambo bread

Does it come with a side of bloody soup?

1 point

Headbands are optional.

1 point

Fresh bread and a knife.

0 points

Grab this list

Chinglish Signage 

Signs are probably the richest source of Chinglish.

curated content from Flickr

Signspotting 

Concubine Pillow 

caption contest

Here's one of my all time favorite Chinglish photos! Give me a funny caption for it.



CrazyEnglishpillow

You'll rest better on a concubine.

2 points

And pillows for the rest of the population would be where?

0 points

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Wacky Packages 

curated content from Flickr

Smeel Toilet Paper 

Caption Contest

SmeellTP

Smile while you do your business.

1 point

Should that be Smell or Smile?

0 points

Hehehe.

0 points

Grab this list

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 

BM club

We use Smeell here!!

1 point

Just another smelly club.

1 point

Gas members get in half price.

1 point

Where you go when you've had a bit too much sweet and sour.

0 points

Boys only.

0 points

Grab this list

Chinglish and Engrish Sites 

Can't get enough? Get lost in these sites. You'll laugh and groan over the crazy English found here.
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 

Loading poll. Please Wait...

Engrish 

The Joys of Engrish

Amazon Price: $9.56 (as of 11/12/2009)Buy Now

Other Examples of Chinglish 

curated content from Flickr

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.)

Guestbook 

chinglish sign at bus station

So which crazy English example was YOUR favorite?
Which one made you laugh outloud?

submit
  • Reply
    marc-hk marc-hk Jun 24, 2009 @ 4:16 am
    I'm an Australian living in Hong Kong and the fun nevers ends, every day, it's a blast. =)
  • Reply
    italianheart92 italianheart92 Jun 23, 2009 @ 9:05 am
    Lol hilarious lens awesome job :)
  • Reply
    BigGirlBlue BigGirlBlue Jun 16, 2009 @ 10:10 pm
    Easy enough to do that's for sure. I don't think anyone is immune.
  • Reply
    Chadrew Chadrew Jun 15, 2009 @ 1:38 pm
    I love Engrish, always gives me a good laugh. I've seen some really hilarious restaurant menus in Engrish.
  • Reply
    Jimmie Jimmie Jun 14, 2009 @ 7:45 pm | in reply to shajo
    You left "We use Smeel here!" on the BM Club sign! Brilliant! I love it!
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by Jimmie

Hello! I am a homeschooling, stay at home mom who loves to teach and learn. I enjoy cooking from scratch, blogging, photography, and traveling, but I...

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