Apple’s iPhone 7 slogan in Hong Kong? ‘This is penis’

Tim Cook says that Apple designs its new products with the Chinese audience in mind. However, judging by one of the translated slogans for its new iPhone 7, that same localized care and attention doesn’t extend to every aspect of Apple’s business

The proof? One of the slogans for the iPhone 7 is apparently being read by some audiences as “This is penis.”

Hey, at least iPhone 7 Plus owners can feel good about themselves!

The slogan in question is the somewhat banal-sounding “This is seven.” Seems simple enough, right? Not according to Quartz writer Zheping Huang, who observes that:

“In Cantonese, ‘seven,’ or 柒, is pronounced chat, and is also slang for ‘penis.’ The word isn’t particularly offensive. Instead, it is often used to describe a hilarious person or thing, or mock someone gently. Let’s say a friend slipped in public, or got a goofy haircut: you can say to him in Cantonese ‘You are so seven,’ without hurting his feelings too much.

Or, you can take the literal meaning. That’s why “This is penis” or “Penis, is here” or “Exactly is Penis” were not great choices for Apple’s Hong Kong marketing push.”

Huang says that already locals in Hong Kong — where Cantonese is spoken, as opposed to Mandarin as in mainland China — are enjoying the mistake. A Facebook post noting that, “Without a 3.5mm earbud jack, this is exactly penis” has gone viral, with 39,000 reactions.

Luke Dormehl

Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.