Apple’s new iPhone 7 slogan has a very RUDE meaning in Hong Kong
THE latest iPhone release is getting attention for all the wrong reasons in China.
Apple's iPhone 7 slogan means something naughty in Hong Kong
After months of rumours, whispers and speculation – Apple has unveiled the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus on-stage at an exclusive media event in San Francisco, California.
But its new slogan “This is 7” has been somewhat lost in translation in Hong Kong.
Seemingly an innocuous phrase, the words translated into Cantonese suddenly sound very rude.
In mainland China, the literal meaning is “7, is here”. In Taiwan, it translates to “Exactly is 7”.
The slogan means "This, is exactly 7" in Hong Kong, but seven has a rude slang meaning
iPhone 7 unveiled in San Francisco
Both places speak Mandarin but in Hong Kong where Cantonese is spoken, the literal meaning is different again.
When putting the words back in English, they mean: “This, is exactly 7”.
But in Hong Kong, seven actually has a slang meaning of “penis”.
So effectively, the new Apple slogan means: “This, is exactly penis”.
Surprisingly though, the colloquial term isn’t very offensive, more an amusing slant.
And people in Hong Kong have certainly found the humour in it.
A Facebook post with more than 40,000 likes has commented: “Without a 3.5mm ear bud jack, this is exactly penis”.
It’s not the first time such a mistake has been made in the tech world.
Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 translates to “a stick of penis” in Cantonese.
Needless to say people in Hong Kong have found the rude translation amusing
A jeep in St Petersburg, Florida, was incinerated after its owner left one of the smartphone’s inside charging.
The South Korean firm said it was working to investigate whether there was any way it could repay the cost of the vehicle destroyed in the fire.
Less than two days before, a Samsung Galaxy Note 7 exploded inside a hotel room in Australia and caused more than $1,800 AUD (£1,028 converted) worth of damage.