{"id":10777,"date":"2015-02-10T09:00:18","date_gmt":"2015-02-10T13:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/?p=10777"},"modified":"2015-02-04T06:11:30","modified_gmt":"2015-02-04T10:11:30","slug":"famous-companies-chinese-names","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/famous-companies-chinese-names\/","title":{"rendered":"Chinese Names for 50 Famous Foreign Companies"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Whenever I introduce myself to Chinese people, I usually get a nice laugh for my silly name &#8211; it literally translates as &#8220;<strong>Happy Field<\/strong>&#8221; (\u7530\u4e50 &#8211; ti\u00e1n l\u00e8). This is fine for a goofy English-teaching, blogging, backpacking hippie such as myself, but for foreign companies looking to do business in China, you probably don&#8217;t want people laughing at your name.<\/p>\n<p>With more and more foreign enterprises trying to enter the Chinese market, choosing a high-quality name is of the utmost importance. There&#8217;s much to think about when selecting a Chinese name for a company:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>It should sound similar to the original name.<\/li>\n<li>It&#8217;s best to keep the name to 2-3 characters, as is the case for most people.<\/li>\n<li>The Chinese characters should look and sound good together.<\/li>\n<li>Negative connotations should be avoided.<\/li>\n<li>The name must be legally available.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In the past, plenty of foreign companies avoided choosing a Chinese name; they worried it would damage their brand recognition. These days, however, it&#8217;s crucial to have a proper Chinese name if you want to do business here. Without a Chinese name, it&#8217;s hard to sell your products online and word-of-mouth will basically be non-existent. After all, how can they talk about your company if they can&#8217;t say your name? Helping foreign companies choose a great Chinese name is now big business, as marketing and consulting firms are ready and willing to assist &#8211; for a reasonable fee, of course.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_10779\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter post-item__attachment\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10779\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10779\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2015\/02\/DSC_0462.jpg\" alt=\"Even the Golden Arches need a Chinese name.\" width=\"700\" height=\"470\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2015\/02\/DSC_0462.jpg 700w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2015\/02\/DSC_0462-350x235.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-10779\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Even the Golden Arches need a Chinese name.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>There are a few different approaches to finding a Chinese name, which we can see clearly in three fast food chains. Some companies choose a Chinese name that simply sounds sort of like the original without any special meaning, such as <strong>McDonald&#8217;s<\/strong>\u00a0(<span class=\"s1\">\u9ea6\u5f53\u52b3<\/span> &#8211; m\u00e0i d\u0101ng l\u00e1o). The name literally means &#8220;wheat serve as labor,&#8221; which doesn&#8217;t exactly describe fast food. Others go for a literal translation, as we can see in the name of <strong>Burger King<\/strong>\u00a0(<span class=\"s1\">\u6c49\u5821\u738b<\/span> &#8211; h\u00e0n b\u01ceo w\u00e1ng). Finally, some companies go for a combination with a Chinese name that sounds similar and can also have a special meaning. For example, the famous\u00a0<strong>Subway<\/strong>\u00a0(<span class=\"s1\">\u8d5b\u767e\u5473 &#8211; <\/span>s\u00e0i b\u01cei w\u00e8i) sandwich shops &#8211; the Chinese name is a phonetic match, and the characters \u767e\u5473 can be translated as &#8220;100 flavors&#8221; &#8211; a good connotation for a place where you can design your sandwich any way you like.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Branding for China - How to Choose a Chinese Name for a Company\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/l97NjfJqV94?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><em>A great video describing the different approaches to choosing a Chinese name.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>As you can see, picking the right Chinese name is no easy task. For some more examples, here are the Chinese names of 50 famous foreign companies, split into five categories:<\/p>\n<h1 class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: center\">TECH<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"p1\">Apple (<span class=\"s1\">\u82f9\u679c<\/span> &#8211; p\u00edng gu\u01d2)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Microsoft (<span class=\"s1\">\u5fae\u8f6f<\/span> &#8211; w\u0113i ru\u01cen)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Google (<span class=\"s1\">\u8c37\u6b4c<\/span> &#8211; g\u01d4 g\u0113)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Facebook (\u8138\u4e66 &#8211; li\u01cen sh\u016b)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Amazon (<span class=\"s1\">\u4e9a\u9a6c\u900a<\/span> &#8211; y\u00e0 m\u01ce x\u00f9n)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Sony (<span class=\"s1\">\u7d22\u5c3c<\/span> &#8211; su\u01d2 n\u00ed)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Nokia (<span class=\"s1\">\u8bfa\u57fa\u4e9a<\/span> &#8211; nu\u00f2 j\u012b y\u00e0)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Canon (<span class=\"s1\">\u4f73\u80fd<\/span> &#8211; ji\u0101 n\u00e9ng)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Samsung (<span class=\"s1\">\u4e09\u661f<\/span> &#8211; s\u0101n x\u012bng)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">LinkedIn (<span class=\"s1\">\u9886\u82f1<\/span> &#8211; l\u01d0ng y\u012bng)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h1 class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: center\">CARS<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"p1\">BMW (<span class=\"s1\">\u5b9d\u9a6c<\/span> &#8211; b\u01ceo m\u01ce)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Audi (<span class=\"s1\">\u5965\u8fea<\/span> &#8211; \u00e0o d\u00ed)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Ford (<span class=\"s1\">\u798f\u7279<\/span> &#8211; f\u00fa t\u00e8)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Toyota (<span class=\"s1\">\u4e30\u7530<\/span> &#8211; f\u0113ng ti\u00e1n)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Ferrari (<span class=\"s1\">\u6cd5\u62c9\u5229<\/span> &#8211; f\u01ce l\u0101 l\u00ec)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Mercedes Benz (<span class=\"s1\">\u6885\u8d5b\u5fb7\u65af\u5954\u9a70<\/span> &#8211; m\u00e9i s\u00e0i d\u00e9 s\u012b b\u0113n ch\u00ed)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Volkswagen (<span class=\"s1\">\u5927\u4f17<\/span>\u00a0&#8211; d\u00e0 zh\u00f2ng)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Honda (<span class=\"s1\">\u672c\u7530<\/span> &#8211; b\u011bn ti\u00e1n)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Nissan\u00a0 (<span class=\"s1\">\u5c3c\u6851<\/span> &#8211; n\u00ed s\u0101ng)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Acura (<span class=\"s1\">\u8bb4\u6b4c<\/span> &#8211; \u014du <span class=\"s2\">\u0261<\/span>\u0113)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h1 class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: center\">FASHION<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"p1\">Nike (<span class=\"s1\">\u8010\u514b<\/span> &#8211; n\u00e0i k\u00e8)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Adidas (<span class=\"s1\">\u963f\u8fea\u8fbe\u65af<\/span> &#8211; \u0101 d\u00ed d\u00e1 s\u012b)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Armani (<span class=\"s1\">\u963f\u739b\u5c3c<\/span> &#8211; \u0101 m\u01ce n\u00ed)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Gucci (<span class=\"s1\">\u53e4\u5947<\/span> &#8211; g\u01d4 q\u00ed)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Levi&#8217;s (<span class=\"s1\">\u674e\u7ef4\u65af<\/span> &#8211; li w\u00e9i s\u012b)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Rolex (<span class=\"s1\">\u52b3\u529b\u58eb<\/span> &#8211; l\u00e1o l\u00ec sh\u00ec)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Burberry (<span class=\"s1\">\u5df4\u5b9d\u8389<\/span> &#8211; ba b\u01ceo l\u00ec)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Chanel (<span class=\"s1\">\u9999\u5948\u513f<\/span> &#8211; xi\u0101ng n\u00e0i er)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Ikea (<span class=\"s1\">\u5b9c\u5bb6<\/span> &#8211; yi ji\u0101)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Louis Vuitton (<span class=\"s1\">\u8def\u6613\u5a01\u767b<\/span> &#8211; l\u00f9 y\u00ec w\u0113i d\u0113ng)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h1 class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: center\">FOOD\/DRINK<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"p1\">Coca-Cola (<span class=\"s1\">\u53ef\u53e3\u53ef\u4e50<\/span> &#8211; k\u011b k\u01d2u k\u011b l\u00e8)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Pepsi (<span class=\"s1\">\u767e\u4e8b\u53ef\u4e50<\/span> &#8211; b\u01cei sh\u00ec k\u011b l\u00e8)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">McDonald&#8217;s (<span class=\"s1\">\u9ea6\u5f53\u52b3<\/span> &#8211; m\u00e0i d\u0101ng l\u00e1o<span class=\"s1\">\uff09<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Burger King (<span class=\"s1\">\u6c49\u5821\u738b<\/span> &#8211; h\u00e0n b\u01ceo w\u00e1ng)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">KFC (<span class=\"s1\">\u80af\u5fb7\u57fa<\/span> &#8211; k\u011bn d\u00e9 j\u012b)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Pizza Hut (<span class=\"s1\">\u5fc5\u80dc\u5ba2<\/span> &#8211; b\u00ec sh\u00e8ng k\u00e8)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Starbucks\u00a0 (<span class=\"s1\">\u661f\u5df4\u514b<\/span> &#8211; x\u012bng ba k\u00e8)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Subway (<span class=\"s1\">\u8d5b\u767e\u5473 &#8211; <\/span>s\u00e0i b\u01cei w\u00e8i)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Lay&#8217;s (<span class=\"s1\">\u4e50\u4e8b<\/span> &#8211; l\u00e8 sh\u00ec)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Budweiser (<span class=\"s1\">\u767e\u5a01<\/span> &#8211; b\u01cei w\u0113i)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h1 class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: center\">FINANCE<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"p1\">Visa (<span class=\"s1\">\u7ef4\u58eb<\/span> &#8211; w\u00e9i sh\u00ec)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Mastercard (<span class=\"s1\">\u4e07\u4e8b\u8fbe<\/span> &#8211; w\u00e0n sh\u00ec d\u00e1)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">American Express (<span class=\"s1\">\u7f8e\u56fd\u8fd0\u901a<\/span> &#8211; m\u011bi gu\u00f3 y\u00f9n t\u014dng)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">HSBC (<span class=\"s1\">\u6c47\u4e30\u94f6\u884c<\/span> &#8211; hu\u00ec f\u0113ng y\u00edn h\u00e1ng)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Citibank (<span class=\"s1\">\u82b1\u65d7\u94f6\u884c<\/span> &#8211; hu\u0101 q\u00ed y\u00edn h\u00e1ng)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Ernst &amp; Young (<span class=\"s1\">\u5b89\u6c38<\/span> &#8211; \u0101n y\u01d2ng)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">KPMG (<span class=\"s1\">\u6bd5\u9a6c\u5a01<\/span> &#8211; b\u00ec m\u01ce w\u0113i)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">Goldman Sachs (<span class=\"s1\">\u9ad8\u76db<\/span> &#8211; g\u0101o sh\u00e8ng)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">JP Morgan (JP<span class=\"s1\">\u6469\u6839<\/span> &#8211; JP m\u00f3 g\u0113n)<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">PricewaterhouseCoopers (<span class=\"s1\">\u666e\u534e\u6c38\u9053<\/span> &#8211; p\u01d4 hu\u00e1 y\u01d2ng d\u00e0o)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>So, who has the best Chinese name? That&#8217;s hard to say, but most people would have to give it up to Coca-Cola. The Chinese name not only sounds very similar to the original, but it&#8217;s easy to pronounce even though it&#8217;s 4-characters long. Plus, it can directly be translated as &#8220;delicious happiness&#8221; &#8211; a great positive connotation for a soft drink. Another great one is BMW, which literally means &#8220;precious horse.&#8221; For further reading about companies choosing a Chinese name, check out <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2011\/11\/12\/world\/asia\/picking-brand-names-in-china-is-a-business-itself.html?_r=2&amp;src=twr&amp;\">this NY Times article<\/a> from a few years back.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<img width=\"350\" height=\"235\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2015\/02\/DSC_0462-350x235.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image tmp-hide-img\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2015\/02\/DSC_0462-350x235.jpg 350w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2015\/02\/DSC_0462.jpg 700w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><p>Whenever I introduce myself to Chinese people, I usually get a nice laugh for my silly name &#8211; it literally translates as &#8220;Happy Field&#8221; (\u7530\u4e50 &#8211; ti\u00e1n l\u00e8). This is fine for a goofy English-teaching, blogging, backpacking hippie such as myself, but for foreign companies looking to do business in China, you probably don&#8217;t want&hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"post-item__readmore\"><a class=\"btn btn--md\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/famous-companies-chinese-names\/\">Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":10779,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3,13],"tags":[371304,371305,371299,371300,371306,371303,371298,371297,371302,371301,315661],"class_list":["post-10777","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-vocabulary","tag-apple-in-china","tag-chinese-names","tag-chinese-names-of-famous-companies","tag-chinese-names-of-foreign-companies","tag-doing-business-in-china","tag-fast-food-in-china","tag-foreign-companies-chinese-names","tag-foreign-companies-in-china","tag-kfc-in-china","tag-mcdonalds-in-china","tag-starbucks-in-china"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10777","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/55"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10777"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10777\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10791,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10777\/revisions\/10791"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10779"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10777"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10777"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10777"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}