How “Wasei Eigo” Gave Birth to the Iconic Name

Pokémon is an abbreviation for “pocket monster,” which fittingly describes the creatures in the series and the game. According to Sherman Smith (Facts, 2024), the word “Pokémon” is an example of Japanese “wasei-eigo,” which translates as “Japanese-made English” (1). 

Wasei eigo or Japlish involves creating new Japanese words by combining syllables from common English words to form unique Japanese-sounding terms.

Megan Taylor Stephens (Bokksu, 2022) (2) argues that Japanese people are familiar with English from a young age because it is taught early in school. Although Japanese kids may not be as proficient in functional, conversational English, they enjoy experimenting with the language and inventing new words.

According to Stephens, the influence of wasei eigo doesn’t rely solely on formal avenues, such as education and geopolitics. Instead, Japanese-English terms usually stem from exposure to pop culture, daily life, and brand marketing within Japan. 

Sprinkling English words and phrases into Japanese gives terms a hip, youthful vibe, making Pokémon fit right into that Japlish mode. Other common examples of wasei eigo include “donmai” for “I don’t mind,” “potechi” for “potato chip,” and even “sararimam” for “salaryman” or “office worker.”

What Does the Name Pikachu Mean?

In the world of Pokémon, the lead creature of the game and franchise is Pikachu, a bubbly, quirky yellow pocket monster who bounces around with the child protagonist Ash. While the other monsters have earned their own following, Pikachu has always been the game’s central character.

In a 2023 feature for the PC Gamer, Richard Moore explains that Pikachu’s name comes from a couple of combined Japanese phrases (3). The word “pika” often refers to a sparkle or glisten of light, while “chu” is the sound a mouse makes. The phrase combination is likened to a form of onomatopoeia in the Japanese language, mimicking the animal’s sound. Put together, the name Pikachu translates to an “electric mouse.”

How Pokémon Go Revitalized the Franchise

Pokémon was initially created for the Gameboy in 1996 as a role-playing game. After nearly 30 years of prominence, it has become one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time, with successful anime series, movies, merchandise, and the super popular spin-off game Pokémon Go. 

Pokémon Go heralded a new era for the Pokémon franchise, according to Shivanjali Pawar (Enterprise Apps Today, 2023) (4). It exploded onto the mobile gaming market in 2016 and was downloaded 130 million times around the globe in the first month after its release. This made it the most downloaded game in the industry at the time of its launch. It has also ranked as the 5th highest-grossing game worldwide. 

Currently, Pokemon Go has grown to a staggering 150 million users worldwide, with 9 million hunting for Pokemon daily. Although this is a notable decrease from the daily figures in the app’s heyday during its launch year in 2016, it still represents the highest annual number since 2016. 

Pawar also reports that Pokémon Go’s in-app purchases were valued at $703.74 million in 2022, making the game a worldwide hit. Since its launch in 2016, it has had over 1.1 billion downloads.

References

1. Sherman Smith. “Pokémon Facts.” Facts.Net, April 28, 2024. | https://facts.net/pokemon-facts/
2. Megan Taylor Stephens. “What Is Wasei Eigo?” Bokksu, August 12, 2022. | https://www.bokksu.com/blogs/news/what-is-wasei-eigo?srsltid=AfmBOorUftXUdPeG1XY8b7fmYxwo0r7YgeCXA7XhS58yay9QOMrmt8CW
3. Richard Moore. “10 Lesser-Known Pokemon Facts That Will Surprise You.” The Gamer, July 16, 2023. | https://www.thegamer.com/pokemon-facts-that-you-might-not-know/
4. Shivanjali Pawar. “50+ Most Surprising Pokémon Go Statistics for 2023 (Facts and Trends). Enterprise Apps Today, 2023. | https://www.enterpriseappstoday.com/stats/surprising-pokemon.html