"Pokemon" is one of the most famous game franchises in the world. The very word "pokemon" is a fusion of the phrase "pocket monsters". The English localization of Pokemon names remains one of the most popular, but did you know about the Japanese names?
Do you know the Japanese names for Pokemons?
The name of the franchise's mascot, Pikachu, was created by combining the onomatopoeia of the spark ピカピカ ✨(pikapika) and the mouse squeak チューチュー 🐭(chuchu). The original name was not changed, most likely for commercial reasons.
The duck-like Farfetch'd is called カモネギ(kamonegi) in Japanese, which is a combination of 鴨 "kamo" 🦆("wild duck") and 葱 "negi" 🧅("onion"). In addition, 鴨葱 ("kamonegi") is a shortened version of the Japanese proverb 「鴨が葱を背負って来る」 ("Here comes the duck carrying onions"), which has at least two different meanings. Let's imagine that we are trying to figure out what kind of delicious dish to cook for a holiday dinner. And then suddenly a duck comes out to meet us, carrying an onion under its wing. So, in addition to the fact that it itself solved our problem, it also brought onions for flavor. This phrase is used as a surprise, when the problem is solved easily. The second meaning refers to an overly trusting person who is easy to take advantage of.
There were also cases when Japanese names were not so sophisticated. The legendary bird trio フリーザー❄️ (Japanese: Furīza, from English: "freezer"), サンダー ⚡(Japanese: Sandā, from English: "thunder") and ファイヤー 🔥(Japanese: Faiyā, from English: "fire") were named using the usual 外来 語 (gairaigo, borrowed words), according to the elements that each of the birds represents.
Bulbasaurus is called フシギダネ (Fushigidane) in Japanese, which is most likely a combination of the words 不思議 "fushigi" ("mysterious"), 🌰種 "tane" ("grain") and the phrase だね "dane" ("isn't it?"). If this set of words and phrases is turned into a question, then "Fushigi, da ne?" can literally be translated as "Isn't it strange?". Japanese children call Aivisaurus フシギソウ🌱 (Fushigisou), which is a combination of the words "fushigi" and "sou" ("strange grass"). Venusaurus has the name フシギバナ🌺 (Fushigibana) from 不思議な花 ("fushigi na hana"), which translates as "strange flower".
As for the lizard-like fire-type starter Pokémon, Charmander, its Japanese name is ヒトカゲ (hitokage), which is a combination of "火" 🔥 ("hi", the symbol for fire) and "トカゲ" 🦎 (Japanese "tokage", English "lizard").
As for the water starter, Squirtle, its Japanese name is ゼニガメ (Zenigame). 銭 "zeni" 🪙 ("money") and 亀 "kame" 🐢 ("turtle") together translates as "mini turtle". What is the money for? 銭 "zeni" is an old word for "money" and Squirtle's carapace looks like old coins. Squirtle becomes Vortortle and has the Japanese name カメール (Kameru), which is most likely a combination of the Japanese word 亀 "kame" ("turtle") and the English loanword "tail". Vortortle transforms into Blastoise, but his original name is カメックス (Kamekkusu), which all comes from the same "turtle" (亀 "kame") and マックス "makkusu" (max).
What other names do you know? Share in the comments!
