20 Mind-Blowing Facts About Coca-Cola

17. When Coca-Cola First Launched In China The Product's Name Literally Translated As "Bite The Wax Tadpole"

Coca-Cola first tried to crack the Chinese market way back in the 1920s - but when the company's products first made their way into the Far East there was no actual direct translation for the brand name. Initially using characters that, when pronounced, literally read "co-ka-co-la", shop-owners in China constructed their own signs and placed this name on the front. Unfortunately for Coca-Cola, their brand name translated literally as "bite the wax tadpole", "wax-fastened female horse", or "wax-flattened mare", depending on how it was said. Eventually Coca-Cola settled on the Chinese name of "" - or "K›k’uk›lè" - which means "to allow the mouth to rejoice". Certainly better than the original meanings, anyway...