You're reading: Cats, kissing and nails: Google reveals what’s on Ukrainians minds

“Why are cats afraid of cucumbers?”

“How do you kiss properly?”

“What do people need nails for?”

These were among the most common questions on the minds of Ukrainians in 2016, according to the Ukrainian office of Google, which on Dec. 13 released lists of the most popular search questions in Ukraine.

The ranking reveals Ukrainians’ interest in a wide range of topics and personalities.

Many of the inquiries concerned entertainment and sports: the most popular search request among Ukrainian Google users was the UEFA Euro 2016 football championship. Ukrainians also googled movies, TV shows, the Eurovision song contest, which Ukraine won in 2016, the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, and the smartphone game Pokemon Go.

The second most popular search request was the Russian TV series “Fizruk,” a comedy about a former body guard who begins teaching gym class in a high school.

Ukrainian office of Google released the most popular search requests in Ukraine in 2016. (Courtesy)

Ukrainian office of Google released the most popular search requests in Ukraine in 2016. (Courtesy)

Another Russian series, “Mazhor,” which tells about a son of a Russian businessman who is forced to work as a police officer, was the third most searched-for item in Google in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the internationally famous fantasy TV series “Game of Thrones” was only sixth on the most-searched list.

The most popular person in Google Search was Crimean-Tatar singer Jamala, who won this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. She was followed by the United States President Donald Trump and Taras Poznyakov, a Lviv native who went missing while giving a ride via the BlaBlaCar car-sharing service.

The most-googled movie in Ukraine was “Suicide Squad,” another blockbuster from DC. The most popular TV show among Ukraine’s Google users was the Eurovision Song Contest.

The list of the items that Ukrainians looked up to purchase was topped by a building material – autoclaved aerated concrete. Also on the list of most-searched purchases were pug puppies, the iPhone 7, dresses for Latin dances, and “black market dollars.”

Most-asked questions

Apart from general rankings, Google also made a list of the most frequent questions that Ukrainians asked Google, and divided them into several types, including “Why?” “How?” and “What for?” The questions were originally asked in Russian and Ukrainian.

Here are some of Google Ukraine’s most popular questions in 2016.

Why…

  1. Why don’t guys like me?
  2. Why do people smack their lips when sleeping?
  3. Why is everything so sad?
  4. Why is ex.ua not working?
  5. Why do men love but don’t marry?
  6. Why are cats afraid of cucumbers?
  7. Why was (Russian pop singer Natasha) Koroliova banned from entering Ukraine?
  8. Why don’t people fly to the Moon?
  9. Why is the wind blowing?
  10. Why is it bad to get married during a leap year?

 

How…

  1. How do I lose weight?
  2. How do I download video from YouTube?
  3. How can I quit smoking?
  4. How can I make money online?
  5. How do you kiss properly?
  6. How do you update Android?
  7. How do I get married?
  8. How can I run properly?
  9. How can I get a subsidy (for home utilities)?
  10. How do you download Pokémon Go?

What… for

  1. What do cats need whiskers for?
  2. What do we need a college degree for?
  3. What do people get a red thread on their hand for?
  4. What does a woodpecker need a red hat for?
  5. What do people paint trees white for?
  6. What do people need nails for?
  7. What are we living for?
  8. What do we need men for?
  9. What is the reason for people switching from winter time to summer time?
  10. What is the reason why people have to switch off their phones on a plane?