Alex Cunningham

When it comes to drinks, probably the most famous loan word in Mandarin is Coca-Cola which translators have cleverly rendered as 可口可乐 kěkǒu kělè, literally, “tasty and fun”. However many might not be familar with 蝌蝌龈蜡 kēkēkěnlà, the original transliteration, which literally means “tadpole chews wax”, not the greatest message with which to impress the Chinese with an exotic new drink. Soon after, its rival Pepsi came up with 百事可乐 bǎishìkělè – “one-hundred-things cola”. For more of a caffeine fix, check out 咖啡 kāfēi (“coffee”) and 苏打 sūdǎ (“soda”). The common milkshake is usually transliterated as 奶昔 nǎixī, though you may see 雪克 xuěkè from time to time.