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Crazy English

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Getting Wacky with Chinglish

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

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No need to add water!

2 points

2

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Thirsty? Really, really thirsty?

1 point

3

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Oh yum!

1 point

4

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Where's the blast?

0 points

Grab this list

Menu and Restaurant Blunders

curated content from Flickr
Important!

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

Chinglish: Found in Translation

by: Oliver Lutz Radtke

Amazon Price: $4.41 (as of 02/17/2012)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

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Headbands are optional.

2 points

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Does it come with a side of bloody soup?

1 point

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Fresh bread and a knife.

0 points

Grab this list

What is This Chinglish Sign Supposed to Be Promoting?

Take Your Guess & See if You're Right

warmer

Chinglish Signage

Signs are probably the richest source of Chinglish.

curated content from Flickr

Signspotting

Lonely Planet Signspotting 2 : The World's Most Absurd Signs (Lonely Planet Signspotting) (No. 2)

Lonely Planet Signspotting 2 : The World's Most Absurd Signs (Lonely Planet Signspotting) (No. 2)

by: Doug Lansky

Amazon Price: $4.25 (as of 02/17/2012)Buy Now

Concubine Pillow

caption contest

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



CrazyEnglishpillow

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You'll rest better on a concubine.

3 points

2

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

1 point

Grab this list

Wacky Packages

curated content from Flickr

Smeel Toilet Paper

Caption Contest

SmeellTP

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Smile while you do your business.

2 points

2

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Hehehe.

1 point

3

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It should be both Smell and Smile.

1 point

4

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Should that be Smell or Smile?

0 points

Grab this list

Important!

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

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We use Smeell here!!

2 points

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Just another smelly club.

1 point

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Gas members get in half price.

1 point

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

0 points

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Boys only.

0 points

Grab this list

Chinglish and Engrish Sites

caution: Stumbling over EnglishCan'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

The Joys of Engrish

by: Steve Caires

Amazon Price: $5.22 (as of 02/17/2012)Buy Now

Other Examples of Chinglish

curated content from Flickr

Flickr Groups

CRACKERS an excellent dose

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, fliers and road signs.)

Asia Travel Guides

Come visit Asia and be sure to bring your camera!
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Guestbook

chinglish sign at bus station

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

submit
  • Reply
    skiesgreen Dec 25, 2011 @ 12:04 am | delete
    This is a great tickle. Thanks for the laughs, I needed them today, Hugs
  • Reply
    arncyn Apr 11, 2011 @ 11:47 am | delete
    I completely enjoyed myself on this crazy lens! Here in the Philippines we are taught English at an early age (it's our 2nd language) though it doesn't exempt us from misusing it too - sometimes intentionally, in the name of humor. You'll find establishments with names like "Doris Day and Night" (a 24-hour eating place), "Petal Attraction" (a flower shop), "Sylvester Salon" (a beauty salon), and "M-m-m-my Shawarma" (a Persian eatery).

    ~Blessed~ by a Travel Angel
  • Reply
    pmolinero Oct 18, 2010 @ 7:50 am | delete
    These engrish mistakes are always good for a laugh. But as your example shows, we are also doing such mistakes. Although it might be embarrassing sometimes, it is always good if we can laugh about them.
  • Reply
    louiswery Oct 11, 2010 @ 10:25 am | delete
    That was a fun laugh created in good humor. You were such a good sport to include your own mistakes. Malapropisms are funny in any language.
  • Reply
    bakerwoman Oct 8, 2010 @ 11:42 pm | delete
    Just driving around China and reading the English is entertainment in itself. These are just too funny. Lenrolled to my :Funny signs from around the world."
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Jimmie

Hello! I am a homeschooling, stay at home mom who loves to teach, cook from scratch, write (and blog), sew, listen to great sermons, and travel.

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