I think everyone knows that games change from one region to another. In Japan the original names of characters and places can be totally different from the American version we know. In this article, we are going to talk about the names of Nintendo characters in Japanese.
The idea for this article started when I saw the video of my friend Rodrigo Coelho who have a YouTube channel about Nintendo. If you want to see the video, I'll leave it below, he's really nice!
Table of Contents
What does the name "Nintendo" mean?
In Japanese, "Nintendo" is written with the following ideograms [任天堂] which can be literally translated as "Leave your fate in the hands of Heaven or Paradise".
This happens because the ideogram [天] means heaven and paradise, while [堂] means sanctuary or temple, together [天堂] conveys a total sense of paradise. Meanwhile, the first ideogram [任] conveys the idea of responsibility and obligation, forming makaseru [任せる] which means I leave it in your hands or to leave something for someone to do.
Some claim that the name Nintendo was chosen because of the proverb Unwoten'nimakaseru [運を天に任せる] which means to leave luck to the heavens or to accept the fate that has been imposed on you.
Others claim that Kanji [任] was chosen because of the Hanafuda that was initially played by mobsters. Words like responsibility are part of the Yakuza ideas. Not to mention that the word paradise has everything to do with the engravings of the game Hanafuda that gave rise to Nintendo.
Nintendo games name in Japanese
The names of Nintendo games are also often changed. For example, The legend of Zelda in Japanese becomes Zeruda no Densetsu [ゼルダの伝説]. The classic Pokemon in Japan is called Poketto monsutaa [ポケットモンスター] or literally Pocket Monster.
The World of Light, the story mode of Super Smash Bros Ultimate in Japanese is called Tomoshibi no Hoshi (灯火の星) which when written backwards using the Chinese reading, becomes the name of the Kirby game in Japanese: Hoshi no kaabyi [星のカービィ].
The NES and SNES consoles in Japan are called Famikon [ファミコン] an abbreviation for Family Computer or Super Family Computer. The names of characters in the Zelda and Metroid series are usually just a transliteration of English.
Most of the time, Japanese names are written as a transliteration of English in katakana, but there are exceptions. Franchises like Fire Emblem, Mother, and other characters that appear in Smash Bros will be listed in the article.
We wrote an article speaking the names of Pokemons in Japanese. If you want to read just click here.
Name of Nintendo characters in Japanese - SUPER MARIO
If you don't the names of the American characters on the list, just watch Rodrigo Coelho's video at the beginning of the article.
Responsive Table: Scroll the table to the side with your finger >>
| Japanese | Romanization | American |
|---|---|---|
| ルイージ | Ruīji | Luigi |
| チコ | Chiko | Luma |
| マリオ | Mario | Mario |
| バトラー | Batorā | Polari |
| ピーチ姫 | Pīchi Hime | Princess Peach |
| マンタロウ | Mantarō | Ray |
| ロゼッタ | Rozetta | Rosalina |
| ボムテレサ | Bomu Teresa | Bomb Boo |
| ジュゲム | Jugemu | Lakitu |
| キラー | Kirā | Bullet Bill |
| ポイハナ | Poihana | Cataquack |
| プクプク | Pukupuku | Cheep Cheep |
| タコボー | Takobō | Electrogoomba |
| アナゴン | Anagon | Gringill |
| カメック | Kamekku | Kamek |
| ノコノコ | Nokonoko | Koopa Troopa |
| パタパタ | Pata-pata | Koopa Paratroopa |
| クワカブト | Kuwakabuto | Mandibug |
| ミニメカクッパ | Mini Meka Kuppa | Mecha-Bowser |
| パックンフラワー | Pakkun Furawā | Piranha Plant |
| トゲトゲパックン | Togetoge Pakkun | Piranha Plant |
| ココサンボ | Koko Sanbo | Pokey |
| カボクリボー | Kabo Kuribō | Pumpkinhead Goomba |
| ドッスン | Dossun | Thwomp |
| トゲベーゴマン | Toge Bēgoman | Topman |
| オニマスドン | Onimasudon | Tox Box |
| 砂風くん | Suna Kaze-kun | Tweester |
| ウニゾー | Unizō | Urchin |
| ハナチャン | Hana-chan | Wiggler |
| カチコチキング | Kachikochi King | Baron Brrr |
| ポルタ | Poruta | Bouldergeist |
| クッパ | Kuppa | Bowser |
| クッパJr. | Kuppa Jr. | Bowser Jr. |
| クワカブトキング | Kuwakabuto Kingu | Bugaboom |
Nintendo Character Name – Super SMASH BROS in Japanese
Nothing better than using the character names from Super Smash Bros to see the differences in the names of Nintendo characters in japonês.
Responsive Table: Scroll the table to the side with your finger >>
| American | Japanese | Romanization |
| Mario | Mario | mario |
| Nintendo Switch | Donkey Kong | donkey kong |
| Link | link | link |
| Samus | Samus | samusu |
| Yoshi | Yoshi | yosshii |
| Kirby | Kirby | kaabixi |
| Fox | Fox | fokkusu |
| Pikachu | Pikachu | pikachuu |
| Luigi | Luigi | ruiiji |
| Ness | Nes | nesu |
| Captain Falcon | Captain Falcon | Captain Falcon |
| Jigglypuff | pudding | pudding |
| Peach | peach | piichi |
| Bowser | Bowser | kuppa |
| Ice Climbers | Ice Climber | aisukuraimaa |
| Sheikh | Seek | shiiku |
| Zelda | Zelda | Zelda |
| Dr. Mario | Dr. Mario | dokutaa mario |
| Pichu | Pichu | pichuu |
| Falco | Falco | Faruko |
| Marth | Mars | marusu |
| Young Link | children's link | kodomo rinku |
| Ganondorf | Ganondorf | ganondorofu |
| Mewtwo | Mewtwo | myuutsuu |
| Mr. Game & Watch | Mr. Game & Watch | geemuwocchi |
| Meta Knight | Meta Knight | meta naito |
| Pit | Pit | pitto |
| Zero Suit Samus | Zero Suit Samus | zero suutsu samusu |
| Wario | Wario | wario |
| Snake | Snake | suneeku |
| Ike | Aike | aiku |
| Diddy Kong | Diddy Kong | didiikongu |
| Lucas | Lyca | ryuka |
| Sonic | Sonic | sonic |
| King Dedede | デデデ (DedeDe) | dedede |
| Olimar | Pikmin Olimar | pikuminorimaa |
| Lucario | Lucario | Rukario |
| R.O.B. | Robot | robotto |
| Toon Link | Toon Link | tuunrinku |
| Wolf | Wolf | urufu |
| Villager | villager | villager |
| Mega Man | Mega Man | rokkuman |
| Wii Fit Trainer | WiiFit Trainer | Wiifit toreena |
| Rosalina & Luma | Rosetta Chico | rozettachiko |
| Little Mac | Little Mac | ritoru makku |
| Greninja | Gekkouga | gekkouga |
| Palutena | Palutena | parutena |
| Robin | Lucina | rufure |
| Shulk | Shulk | shuruku |
| Bowser Jr. | Bowser | kuppa Jr. |
| Duck Hunt | Duck Hunt | dakkuhanto |
| Corrin | Kamui | kamui |
| Inkling | Inkling | inkuringu |
| Ridley | Ridley | ridorii |
| King K. Roll | King K. Rool | kingukuruuru |
| Isabelle | Shizue | shizue |
| Incineroar | In English, it is "Incineroar." | gaogaen |
What do you think of Nintendo's Japanese character names? Did you expect these radical changes? Hope you enjoyed the article. If you liked it share and leave your comments.
