旺旺 (Wàngwàng): Want Want

Meanings

1 Want Want
2 Taiwan-based snack brand famous for rice crackers, milk drinks, and a smiling-boy mascot

Characters

旺

wàng

flourishing / prosperous

旺

wàng

flourishing / prosperous

Examples

小时候过年总能收到旺旺大礼包。

Xiǎo shíhou guònián zǒng néng shōudào Wàngwàng dà lǐbāo.

When I was little, I always got a Want Want gift pack for Chinese New Year.

旺旺仙贝是我最喜欢的零食。

Wàngwàng xiānbèi shì wǒ zuì xǐhuan de língshí.

Want Want senbei rice crackers are my favourite snack.

Tips

culture

Founded 1962 in Taiwan by 蔡衍明 (Tsai Eng-meng) as a rice-cracker maker (Want Want China Holdings, listed in Hong Kong). The name 旺 means 'flourishing / prosperous' — doubled to 旺旺 it's a New Year auspicious phrase. The mascot is a wide-eyed cartoon boy whose smile became inescapable on packaging across the Sinosphere.

memory

旺旺 also imitates a dog's bark in Mandarin (compare English 'woof woof'). The double pun — 'flourishing!' + dog bark — is why you'll see 旺旺 ringing in the Year of the Dog and on doggy-themed merchandise.