Don’t get us wrong — Europeans love puns too, and they’re often part of many brands’ marketing strategies. But nothing in Europe comes close to how deeply embedded wordplay is in Chinese and Taiwanese culture, especially in marketing.
This article is also a great read for our Chinese and Taiwanese friends: if you rely too heavily on puns in your marketing strategy in Europe, you might just leave your potential customers looking a bit lost.
Why Wordplay Matters So Much in China and Taiwan
It’s all in the language! Chinese is a tonal and homophonic language — many words sound similar but have completely different meanings. On top of that, the Chinese writing system is logographic. If you’re completely unfamiliar with the language, Chinese characters are, in a way, like puzzles made up of smaller components. This means you can easily swap out one part of the puzzle to create an entirely new character with a completely different meaning — yet it still looks somewhat similar to the original.
This creates endless opportunities for clever puns, rhyming jokes, and symbolic double meanings that are instantly recognizable and emotionally resonant for native speakers. Something that simply isn’t possible in any of our European languages.
Let’s look at some examples, shall we?
Numbers
Numbers are by far what Chinese and Taiwanese marketers play with the most.
While we also have lucky and unlucky numbers in Europe — like 7 for luck or 13 for misfortune — they simply don’t carry the same weight or cultural significance as they do in the East.
In Chinese-speaking cultures, some numbers can be used over and over again to bring good fortune, while others should be strictly avoided.
Take the number 4, for example: it sounds almost identical to the word for death (死 / sǐ). That’s why many buildings skip the 4th floor, why you should never give someone four of anything, and why you’ll almost never see the number 4 in advertisements or product bundles.
On the other hand, 8 is an extremely lucky number. It sounds like wealth and prosperity (發 / fā). You’ll often see prices like $88.88 or $188, chosen not for the math but for the luck. And here’s a fun fact: the 2008 Beijing Olympic Opening Ceremony began on August 8 (8/8) at 8 PM — that wasn’t a coincidence!
But numbers in Chinese marketing go beyond just good or bad luck — they’ve inspired entire shopping holidays based on sound-alike and other wordplay:
- November 11 (11/11) – Singles’ Day: Visually looks like four lonely 1s. Originally a celebration of being single, it was turned by Alibaba into the world’s biggest online shopping festival, generating billions in sales every year.
- May 20 (5/20) – Internet Valentine’s Day: 520 (wǔ èr líng) sounds like “我爱你 (wǒ ài nǐ) – I love you.” It’s become an unofficial Valentine’s Day in China, with brands launching romantic campaigns, flash sales, and exclusive product lines.
- August 8 (8/8) – Father’s Day in Taiwan: 88 (bā bā) sounds like “爸爸” (bàba – dad). It’s the official Father’s Day in Taiwan, and companies often offer promotions on gifts for dads or middle-aged men.
- September 9 (9/9) – Wine Festival: 9 (jiǔ) sounds like alcohol (酒 / jiǔ). In China, this date is used for discounts on alcoholic drinks, beverages, and gourmet foods.
And there are many more — Chinese and Taiwanese brands continue to create new promotions tied to clever number wordplay, all built on how the language sounds.
In contrast, European marketing rarely uses numbers symbolically. We might love a clever date (like Black Friday), but we don’t associate numbers with fortune, romance, or personal identity the way Chinese consumers do.
Wordplay in Brands
In Chinese, every character has its own meaning, so brand names aren’t just names—they carry deep significance that directly communicates to consumers what the brand is about and the values it represents.
For example, the Chinese electric car manufacturer NIO’s Chinese name is 蔚来 (Wèilái). 蔚 (wèi) means “luxuriant” or “grand,” and 来 (lái) means “to come.” Together, the name suggests that something grand is on its way. Additionally, 蔚来 (Wèilái) sounds similar to 未来 (wèilái), which means “future,” hinting at the company’s focus on innovation and its mission to bring the future to its customers.
Foreign brands entering China have also cleverly embraced the power of meaningful names.
For example, Lay’s chips’ Chinese name is 乐事 (Lèshì), which roughly sounds like “Lay’s” and literally translates to “happy things.” Coca-Cola’s Chinese brand name is 可口可乐 (Kěkǒu Kělè), which also sounds similar to the original and, more importantly, means “delicious and joyful.”
Clearly, these kinds of branding strategies wouldn’t translate well in a European context. While some Western brand names do have underlying meanings—Google, for instance, is derived from googol, a number with 1 followed by a hundred zeros, representing the vast amount of information available through the search engine—you wouldn’t walk into a bar and order a Diet “Delicious-and-Joyful” with extra ice.
Wordplay in Slogans and Advertisment
That’s where the core of Chinese wordplay lies. There are so many examples—almost every advertisement and slogan includes some form of wordplay or pun. The thing is, they’re often so subtle that it’s difficult for non-native speakers to catch them.
Here are a few examples we found online. But honestly, unless you have a decent level of Chinese, most of this will sound like Greek (well, actually Chinese!) to you.
This is the name of a coffee and snack shop in Taiwan: 布打羊 (bù dǎ yáng). The name itself doesn’t have a literal meaning, but it sounds exactly like 不打烊 (bù dǎ yáng), which means “doesn’t close for the night”—likely hinting that the shop is open 24/7.
This Intel slogan, 给电脑一颗奔腾的芯 (gěi diànnǎo yì kē pēnténg de xīn), uses a clever pun involving the word 芯 (xīn), which means “chip,” but sounds exactly like and looks similar to 心 (xīn), meaning “heart.” By saying “Give your computer a Pentium chip,” the phrase also suggests “Give your computer a galloping heart.” Intel, as a chip manufacturer, is drawing a parallel between the chip in a computer and the heart in a human—both essential for high performance.
The EVA Air slogan 未玩繼續 (wèi wán jìxù) is a clever homophonic pun on the common phrase 未完繼續 (wèi wán jìxù), meaning “to be continued.” By swapping 完 (“finished”) with 玩 (“play” or “fun”), the message transforms into “not done playing yet—continue,” while still sounding exactly the same. This subtle yet powerful change delivers a message of positivity and renewal: after three years of pandemic restrictions, it’s time to resume life’s journey and rediscover the joy of travel.
As you can see, Chinese marketing wordplay is extremely subtle, yet it can have a big impact on how consumers perceive your brand and products.
Wordplay in European Marketing: More Literal, Less Symbolic
In contrast, European languages typically don’t have many homophones, so this kind of wordplay is much less common. They also lack the linguistic feature where each syllable or character carries an independent meaning. As a result, brand names in European languages are more often proper nouns and don’t necessarily convey a deeper meaning—at least not one that immediately tells the customer what the product is about.
That said, this doesn’t mean we in Europe don’t use wordplay at all—our style is just different. We tend to rely more on puns, alliteration, rhymes, or cultural references, such as idioms, jokes, or nods to pop and internet culture.
For example, a recent McDonald’s ad cleverly played on the word “pickpocket” and was placed inside a metro system—an ironic nod to the well-known pickpocketing problem in many European capitals. In contrast, in China, it’s unlikely you’d see sensitive social issues like that used as material for marketing wordplay.
Europeans also tend to be more direct and less “poetic” in how we communicate. The viral “Welcome to Helsinki” sign is a great example—its dry humor and bluntness resonated widely across Europe but would be unlikely to appear in most Asian contexts.
Why Localization Matters?
So now you know—simply asking AI to translate your European marketing content into Chinese, or vice versa, won’t do the trick. Understanding each region’s cultural specificities is crucial if you truly want your brand and product to succeed. And it goes beyond regional differences: each European country has its own cultural references, just as there are significant differences within the Chinese-speaking world. People from Northern China, Southern China, and Taiwan don’t think or behave in the same way.
Localization is often mistakenly seen as just a “pro” or “premium” version of translation. But in reality, it’s much more than that—especially in marketing. In many cases, localization doesn’t involve translation at all. Instead, it means building an entirely new marketing strategy from scratch. You start with a product and a message you want to convey, and from there, you create a culturally tailored communication that truly resonates with your target audience.
If you’re just selling low-cost products in a market with little competition, you might get by without much extra help. But if you really want your brand to stand out in a crowded market, partnering with a consultancy can make a world of difference. With the right support, you’ll save time, avoid costly mistakes, and connect with your audience in a way that truly resonates.
