可口可乐
kěkǒukělè
可口可乐 (kěkǒukělè) is the Chinese phrase for Coca Cola.
可口可乐 refers to the popular brand of sparkling soft drink. It is a phonetic transliteration that also carries a pleasant meaning.
What does it mean word for word?
可口 (kěkǒu) means 'tasty' and 可乐 (kělè) means 'happy' or 'joyful'.
Which one should you use?
An informal shortened version of 可口可乐 is 可乐.
How do you pronounce it?
kěkǒukělè
Did you know?
- When ordering 可乐 at a restaurant, you may be asked if you want it 冰 (bīng) for iced or 常温 (chángwēn) for room temperature, as cold drinks are not always the default.
- Because 可乐 (kělè) is the shortened version of the brand, it has also become the common noun for 'cola' in general, much like how 'Pepsi' is sometimes used as a generic term in English.
- The choice of these specific characters was a massive marketing triumph because they avoided any phonetically similar characters that might have had negative connotations.
Examples in context
- 我喜欢喝可口可乐。Wǒ xǐhuān hē Kěkǒukělè.I like to drink Coca-Cola.
- 超市里有卖可口可乐吗？Chāoshì lǐ yǒu mài Kěkǒukělè ma?Does the supermarket sell Coca-Cola?
- 给我一瓶可口可乐吧。Gěi wǒ yī píng Kěkǒukělè ba.Give me a bottle of Coca-Cola.
Example conversation
At a convenience store, Zihan and Junjie are choosing drinks.
- 梓涵 Zihan你想喝什么？Nǐ xiǎng hē shénme?What do you want to drink?
- 俊杰 Junjie我想要一罐可口可乐。Wǒ xiǎng yào yī guàn Kěkǒukělè.I want a can of Coca-Cola.
- 梓涵 Zihan我也要买可口可乐。Wǒ yě yào mǎi Kěkǒukělè.I want to buy Coca-Cola too.
- 俊杰 Junjie那我们去结账吧。Nà wǒmen qù jiézhàng ba.Then let's go pay.
