# What do other countries refer to 9-11 as? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 31, 2002, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-other-countries-refer-to-9-11-as/145806 "2002-12-31T02:56:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![airdisc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e19adc/32.png) [@airdisc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/airdisc)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-other-countries-refer-to-9-11-as/145806/1 "2002-12-31T02:56:57Z")
“9-11” is in month-day format. In other countries, they use day-month format. So do they call it “11-9” in other countries, “9-11” like they do in America, or something else all together? ---
**Author:** ![Scruloose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Scruloose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruloose)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-other-countries-refer-to-9-11-as/145806/2 "2002-12-31T03:03:19Z")
In my profession, I deal with merchant sailors from all over the world. When speaking of security issues, they usually refer to it (spoken) as “nine eleven”. Haven’t seen them write it out in any way. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Jervoise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jervoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jervoise)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-other-countries-refer-to-9-11-as/145806/3 "2002-12-31T03:20:22Z")
This question has come up at least once before. “September 11” is common shorthand in Australia. Personally, I’ve never heard anyone say “nine eleven” or “eleven nine” aloud; if someone did, I imagine it would be cause for confusion. ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-other-countries-refer-to-9-11-as/145806/4 "2002-12-31T03:31:13Z")
(U.K. here) 11th September or September 11th ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-other-countries-refer-to-9-11-as/145806/5 "2002-12-31T03:31:38Z")
I think there was a thread about this a while back. Many people call it “September 11th, 2001”, or the WTC attacks, IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-other-countries-refer-to-9-11-as/145806/6 "2002-12-31T03:55:35Z")
Well, I’m in the US and I refer to it as “the terrorist attack on September 11th.” Sometimes, I call it “the mass murder on September 11th.” ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-other-countries-refer-to-9-11-as/145806/7 "2002-12-31T03:58:37Z")
In Ireland people usually refer to it as “September 11” or “September 11th”. “Nine eleven” would be understood, though. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-other-countries-refer-to-9-11-as/145806/8 "2002-12-31T12:33:44Z")
I did not know that the world also refers to it as 9-11. I am using the attacks on NYC (or WTC) and the US. 9-11 seems too clinical to me. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-other-countries-refer-to-9-11-as/145806/9 "2002-12-31T12:48:12Z")
In Ireland I’ve heard “the eleventh of September”, or “9-11” - interchangeably. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-other-countries-refer-to-9-11-as/145806/10 "2002-12-31T12:54:59Z")
China - it’s “jiu yao yao” or “jiu yi yi”, either way it translates into 9/11 ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-other-countries-refer-to-9-11-as/145806/11 "2002-12-31T13:04:11Z")
New Zealand here – we say “September 11” more often than anything else. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-other-countries-refer-to-9-11-as/145806/12 "2002-12-31T13:16:51Z")
When the US started calling it 9-11 I thought it was stupid. I still do. It just seems so geeky. ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-other-countries-refer-to-9-11-as/145806/13 "2002-12-31T13:34:00Z")
I also call it “Oh rats - I nearly forgot it is X’s birthday - must phone him”. ---
**Author:** ![Daylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/45deac/32.png) [@Daylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daylon)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-other-countries-refer-to-9-11-as/145806/14 "2002-12-31T13:58:19Z")
America’s wake up call to our previously held belief of…“Oh…terrorism only happens waaaaay the hell over there…not here. How cute…they’re burning flags in some sandy place 5000 miles away…what do we care…” Just a thought. D. ---
**Author:** ![Scruloose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Scruloose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruloose)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-other-countries-refer-to-9-11-as/145806/15 "2002-12-31T14:46:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Daylon \* > \*\*America’s wake up call to our previously held belief of…“Oh…terrorism only happens waaaaay the hell over there…not here. How cute…they’re burning flags in some sandy place 5000 miles away…what do we care…” > > Just a thought. > > D. \*\* Perhaps that was _your_ previously held belief. You don’t speak for all of us. ---
**Author:** ![kabbes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e99b99/32.png) [@kabbes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kabbes)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-other-countries-refer-to-9-11-as/145806/16 "2002-12-31T14:48:16Z")
In the insurance industry it tends to just be called “WTC”. Or sometimes 9-11. pan ---
**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-other-countries-refer-to-9-11-as/145806/17 "2002-12-31T16:00:47Z")
Just desserts. ---
**Author:** ![WillSantini](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ed8c4c/32.png) [@WillSantini](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillSantini)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-other-countries-refer-to-9-11-as/145806/18 "2002-12-31T16:05:38Z")
Hey Spiff, why don’t you come south of the border and say that? ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-other-countries-refer-to-9-11-as/145806/19 "2002-12-31T16:35:44Z")
I don’t have a newspaper handy, but what I’ve seen on most Japanese headlines translates more or less as ‘September 11 Simultaneous Multiple Terror Incident.’ After all, it wasn’t just the WTC. Needless to say, it flows better in the original. ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-other-countries-refer-to-9-11-as/145806/20 "2002-12-31T16:43:10Z")
I think it’s odd that this is the first disaster that will probably be referred to by it’s date. By the way the literal chinese translation is “no happy freedom towers break” 😛 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-other-countries-refer-to-9-11-as/145806.md?page=2)