Pikachu’s name has a hidden meaning that many Pokemon fans don’t know about.
If you know anything about the Pokemon franchise, you’ve probably seen the adorable yellow creature we all know as Pikachu. Released in 1996 with Pokemon Red and Blue (1998 in Europe), the loveable pocket monster quickly became a mascot for the franchise.
Pikachu is the Pokemon that Ash Ketchum picks up as his starter Pokemon in the anime series, and in 1998 (2000 in Europe), the video game Pokemon Yellow was released that allowed players to also start their journey with a Pikachu by their side.
Since then, the beloved Pokemon has featured in every main series video game except Black and White and their sequels, has been a prominent feature in the Pokemon movies, and even had its own spin-off live-action film, Detective Pikachu, in 2019.
But do you know where the character gets its name? You might think that the word “Pikachu” is just a made-up term, but there’s actually a hidden meaning behind it – and many Pokemon fans are only just working it out.
Today (February 27th) is National Pokemon Day, and to celebrate, we’re lifting the lid on exactly what Pikachu means. The definition of the loveable creature’s name was shared in a TikTok video by a woman named Sayaka, who said it actually comes from two Japanese words.
The first part of Pikachu’s name, “pika”, comes from the Japanese word for the sound that a flash of lightning or the gleam of something shiny might make. This word is an onomatopoeia – similar to English words like zap or zing.
The second part, “chu”, is also an onomatopoeia, this time for the noise a mouse might make. So, putting the two words together gives you something close to “lightning mouse”, which is exactly what Pikachu is.
According to an interview with series director Junichi Masuda by GamePro in 2009, Pikachu was actually one of the hardest names to come up with, as the team wanted to make it appealing to audiences both in Japan and in the rest of the world.
When asked if it was tough coming up with new names and designs for Pokemon, he said: “Yes, it’s incredibly difficult! Especially [coming] up with a name [that] is universal here, in the US or Europe, such as Pikachu, Dialga, Palkia, and Lucario. Those are the names that you have to come up with, appealing to all of the audiences. That’s very difficult.”
The names of Pikachu’s evolution, Raichu, also follows similar naming conventions. The “chu” part still comes from the sound a mouse makes, while “Rai” comes from the Japanese kanji character that means “thunder”.
The only version of the family that doesn’t have a hidden meaning is the pre-evolution of Pikachu, Pichu. This smaller version didn’t exist in the original run of games and was only added in the second generation, Pokemon Gold and Silver.
Because Pikachu was already an established name when Pichu was added, their name doesn’t really mean anything and is likely just a playful adaptation of Pikachu designed to give the feel of a smaller or younger form.
There was, however, originally supposed to be a third evolution of Pikachu that came after Raichu called Gorochu. This was ditched due to cartridge space concerns in the original games, as well as balancing concerns. The “goro” part of the abandoned Pokemon’s name is another onomatopoeia meant to depict the sound of thunder rumbling.