Here’s a fascinating list of the different names for the VW type 1 that are used all around the world.
Usually just the world ‘Beetle’ in their native language but these make for a very interesting read –
- Käfer in Germany, Austria and Switzerland
- Жук (Zhuk) (Bug) also in Russia (Former Soviet Union)
- Volkswagen Sedan
- Volkswagen Bug
- Pichirilo in Ecuador
- Pulga (“Flea”) in Colombia
- Coccinelle (ladybug) or Kever in Belgium
- Vocho or Vochito in Costa Rica, Mexico and Colombia (mostly a shortening of “Volkswagen”; Vochito is affective diminutive)
- Fusca in Brazil and Paraguay
- Escarabajo (meaning “Beetle”) in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru, Spain, Uruguay, El Salvador and Venezuela
- Peta (“turtle”) in Bolivia
- Folcika in Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Sedan, then Fusca (popularly, Fusquinha that means Little Fusca) in Brazil
- Косτенурка (Kostenurka) (meaning turtle) or Бръмбар (Brambar) (meaning bug) in Bulgaria
- Bug, Beetle, Choupette (Herbie’s name in the French version of the movies) or Coccinelle (ladybug) in Canada
- Escarabat (means “beetle”) in Catalan
- Poncho in Chile
- Jiǎ Ké Chóng (甲壳虫) (means “beetle”) in China
- Buba in Croatia
- Brouk in Czech Republic
- Chrobák in Slovak Republic
- Boblen (the bubble), Bobbelfolkevogn (a distortion of ‘the bubble’ and a translation of ‘Volkswagen’, the people’s car), gravid rulleskøjte (pregnant rollerskate) or Hitlerslæden (The Hitler-sled) in Denmark
- Cepillo (“Brush”) in Dominican Republic
- خنفسة – Pronounced khon-fesa (Beetle in Arabic) in Egypt
- Põrnikas (means “beetle”) in Estonia
- Kuplavolkkari (kupla meaning bubble) in Finland
- Coccinelle (ladybug) in France, Quebec and Haiti
- Буба in the Republic of Macedonia
- Jin-guei che (金龜車) in Taiwan
- Σκαθάρι (Scathari meaning beetle), Σκαραβαίος (Scaraveos meaning Scarab), or Χελώνα (Chelona meaning Turtle) in Greece
- Cucaracha or Cucarachita (Cockroach or little cockroach) in Guatemala and El Salvador.
- Bogár in Hungary.
- Cucarachita (little cockroach) in Honduras.
- Bjalla in Iceland
- Kodok (frog) in Indonesia
- Folex(قورباغه ای) meaning frog in Iran
- Agroga عكروكة (froggy)or Rag-gah ركـّة (small turtle)in Iraq
- חיפושית (“Hipushit,” beetle) or Bimba in Israel
- Maggiolino (may bug, cockhafer) or the unofficial name of Maggiolone (can indicate Super Beetle) in Italy
- Kabuto-mushi (カブトムシ） (means “drone beetle”) in Japan
- Kifuu in Kenya
- Vabole in Latvia
- Vabalas in Lithuania
- Kura (turtle) or Kodok (frog) in Malaysia
- Sedán, Pulguita (little flea), Vocho or Vochito (sometimes spelled “bocho/bochito”) in Mexico
- Scoro-Scoro in Namibia
- Bhyagute Car in Nepal literally: “Frog Car”.
- Kever in the Netherlands
- Boble (bubble) in Norway
- “Pendong”, kotseng kuba (literally, ‘hunchback car’) /”pagong” (turtle),”Ba-o”, turtle in Cebuano dialect “Boks” in the Philippines
- Garbus (literally, ‘Hunchback’) in Poland
- Carocha in Portugal
- Volky in Puerto Rico
- Broasca / Broscuţă (little frog/froggy) or Buburuza (ladybird) in Romania
- Фольксваген-жук(Folksvagen-Zhuk) in Russia
- Буба or Buba in Serbia
- Volla, Kewer – Pronounced Folla in South Africa
- Chrobák in Slovakia
- Hrošč in Slovenia
- Volks / Beetle/ ibba (turtule) in Sri Lanka
- Mgongo wa Chura” (Frog Back) or Mwendo wa Kobe” (Tortoise Speed) in Swahili
- Bagge (short for skalbagge, beetle), bubbla (bubble) or folka in Sweden and Finland
- Kobe in Tanzania
- รถเต่า – Pronounced Rod Tao (turtle car) / โฟล์คเต่า (Volk Tao) in Thai
- Kaplumbağa or tosbağa (meaning turtle) or “vosvos” in Turkey.
- con bo in Vietnam
- Bhamba datya in Shona – Datya is frog in the vernacular from Zimbabwe
- Poncho
- Popoy
- Pulga
- Punchbug
- Tortuga in Panama
- Escarabajo, Bocho o Rana in Perú
- Foxi in Pakistan
- Kupla in Finland
- Цох in Mongolia
- Escarabajo o Cucaracha in Colombia
- Escarabajo (Bettle) and popularly Fusca or Fusquita in Uruguay
- Pichirilo in (Colombia)
