If you're not familiar with some of the unusual connotations taken on by foreign words that have worked their way into the Japanese language, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the name of this Sapporo beverage is pronounced "Double U Dry." The reality is different—in this case "W" is pronounced "double," and the actual name of the brand is "Sapporo Double Dry" (meaning that this beer product has an "extra dry" taste).
What's going on here?
Well, in Japanese, "W" has become a shorthand way of expressing ideas like "double," "twice," or "two," and it's not unusual to see the letter used in brand names, advertising and promotional materials.
For example, you may encounter a consumer promotion offering two ways to win called a "W Chance Campaign."
Or, you might run across a two-flavored food referred to as having "W taste."
Tobu Hotel is even advertising a "W Happy Wedding" plan at its affiliated Courtyard Marriott Hotel in Ginza—which features special services for pregnant brides! (the pregnancy is the first happy event, and the wedding is the second).
