What in the word?

On this day in 1996, the original Pokémon game was released, marking the beginning of a cultural phenomenon. Within just a few years, the franchise exploded in popularity, expanding into trading card games, an animated TV series, collectible merchandise, and more. Today, Pokémon stands as the second-best-selling video game franchise of all time — surpassed only by Mario. February 27 is now celebrated worldwide as Pokémon Day, a tribute to a series that has captivated generations.

Pokémon is not just a treasure trove of childhood nostalgia — it’s also a goldmine of linguistic creativity in both English and Japanese. Let’s explore some fascinating wordplay hidden within this beloved franchise!

1. Pokémon means “Pocket Monsters”

“Pokémon” is a Japanese portmanteau of ポケット (Poketto) and モンスター (Monsutā), borrowed from English “pocket” and “monster” and transliterated to fit Japanese phonotactics, or the rules of how sounds can be combined. But this is no ordinary loanword — it’s actually wasei-eigo (和製英語, literally, “made-in-Japan English”). In rare cases — like with “Pokémon,” “cosplay,” or even “salaryman” — these words get borrowed back into English, but many remain uniquely Japanese. Fun examples include ロマンスグレー (romansu gurē), meaning “a middle-aged lover” (literally “romance + gray”), and ワンパターン (wan patān), meaning something repetitive or overdone (“one + pattern”).

2. You Can Sing Emily Dickinson Poems to the Pokémon Theme Song

The iconic “Pokémon Theme (Gotta Catch ‘Em All!)” was only used for the first 82 episodes of the animated TV show in the U.S., but its nostalgic melody and lyrics have cemented it in pop culture. Part of its staying power lies in its common meter — a poetic meter that alternates between 4-iamb and 3-iamb lines. Common (or ballad) meter appears in hymns like “Amazing Grace,” folk songs like “House of the Rising Sun,” and even the poetry of Emily Dickinson, including “Because I could not stop for Death.” This means you can sing Dickinson’s poetry to the tune of the Pokémon theme for some unexpected poetic fun!

3. Pokémon Names Are Full of Wordplay

With nearly 30 years of history, Pokémon has introduced hundreds of cleverly named creatures into the gaming lexicon. But how are these names created?

Portmanteau

The word “Pokémon” isn’t the only portmanteau in the franchise! Portmanteau is a common source for many classic Pokémon names, like those of the Generation I starter Pokémon Charmander (Char + Salamander), Squirtle (Squirt + Turtle), and Bulbasaur (Bulb + Dinosaur).

Onomatopoeia and Mimetic Words

Onomatopoeia are words that come from sounds, like “flutter,” “splash,” “buzz,” and “meow.” Japanese, like English, uses onomatopoeia to imitate sounds, but the language also contains a large number of onomatopoeia-like words, called mimetic words, that cover a much wider range of concepts. (Even silence has a sound, しーん (shīn)!) You can see examples of both Japanese onomatopoeia and mimetic words in Pikachu (ピカチュウ), which comes from ピカピカ (pikapika), the mimetic word for “sparkle,” and チューチュー (chūchū), the sound of a mouse squeaking.

Puns and Double Meanings

Many Japanese Pokémon names rely on puns based on homophones and ambiguous meanings. Take, for example, the Japanese name of the cute but irritable Jigglypuff, プリン (Purin). While it is the Japanese word for “custard pudding,” it could also reference the mimetic word ぷりぷり(puripuri), which means “angrily, in a huff.” Bulbasaur’s Japanese name is also a pun! In Japanese, Bulbasaur is called フシギダネ (Fushigidane), which is both a combination of 不思議 (fushigi), meaning “strange, mysterious,” and 種 (tane), meaning “seed,” and a pun of the phrase 不思議だね (Fushigi da ne), which translates to “Isn’t it strange?”

4. Some Pokémon Names Lose Their Meaning in Translation

Sometimes, a Pokémon’s name in Japanese carries cultural or linguistic references that don’t translate well. Take, for example, the Pokémon Farfetch’d, or カモネギ (Kamonegi) in Japanese. The name is short for the proverb 鴨が葱をしょって来る (kamo ga negi o shottekuru), which roughly means “something surprising but convenient” (literally, “a duck comes bearing green onions”). Since this saying doesn’t exist in English, the localized name “Farfetch’d” attempts to capture the idea of something rare and improbable.

Two more good examples of this phenomenon are Wobbuffet, ソーナンス (Sonans) in Japanese, and its pre-evolution Wynaut, or ソーナノ (Sohnano). The English name Wobbuffet (a portmanteau of “wobble” and “buffet”) maintains a similar structure to the Japanese for voice-dubbing, but it loses a lot of important — and humorous — context. ソーナンス (Sonans) comes from the Japanese interjection そうなんす (Sōnansu), roughly meaning “That’s the way it is,” which is an homage to a famous Japanese rakugo comedian, Hayashiya Sanpei I. Much like the Pokémon, Hayashiya was famous for putting his hand to his forehead and exclaiming his catchphrase そうなんす 、奥さん ！ (Sōnansu, okusan!), “That’s the way it is, madam!” Wynaut’s Japanese name, ソーナノ (Sohnano), derives from the phrase そうなの？ (Sōnano?), meaning “Is that so?” While in Japanese the pair is an Abbott and Costello-esque duo with their names forming a back-and-forth conversation of “Is that so?” and “That’s the way it is,” the names only barely allude to this concept in English.

What are your favorite Pokémon names? Let us know on social media by tagging us at @PlanetWordDC.

Learn more about where we get new words, like portmanteaus and onomatopoeia, in our Where Do Words Come From? gallery on our third floor.