View source for Language of origin

{{redirect|Language|languages that Pokémon speak|Pokémon language}}
{{Unknown name}}
[[File:ORAS Pokémon summary ITA.png|thumb|An Italian {{p|Bulbasaur}} in an English version of [[Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire|Pokémon Alpha Sapphire]]]]
The '''language of origin''', referred to as simply '''language''' (Japanese: '''{{tt|言語|げんご}}''' ''language'') in {{g|HOME}}, is a value in the Pokémon data structure that indicates the language of the game a Pokémon originates from. This value was introduced in [[Generation III]]. From [[Generation VI]] onward, Pokémon with a different language of origin to the current game have their language shown on the [[summary]] screen.

==Assignment==
From [[Generation III]] onward, Pokémon caught in the {{pkmn2|wild}} or obtained as a {{pkmn2|gift}} have the game they were obtained in set as their language of origin. Pokémon obtained from [[in-game trade]]s usually have the game they were obtained in set as their language of origin, but some in-game trade Pokémon have a different language of origin. {{p|Shedinja}} retains the {{p|Nincada}}'s language of origin upon evolution.

In Generation III, {{pkmn|Egg}}s have their language of origin set upon hatching (not when first obtained).<!--internally Eggs have their language of origin set to Japanese when obtained, but this has no functional effect--> From [[Generation IV]] to {{gen|VII}}, Eggs have their language of origin set to the language of the game in which they were obtained, not the game they were hatched in. Starting in [[Generation VIII]], Eggs again have their language of origin set to the language of the game in which they were hatched, not the game they were obtained in.

Pokémon from [[Mystery Gift]]s usually match the language of the game they are distributed to, but some distributions have a fixed language of origin regardless of the receiving game's language. This is particularly common for distributions of Pokémon that were used in official tournaments, which often match the language of the player who used them.

The [[Generation I]] and {{gen|II}} games do not track Pokémon's languages of origin, so Pokémon transferred from these [[Virtual Console]] games record the language of the game they were transferred from as their language of origin.

Pokémon transferred from [[Pokémon GO]] via [[GO Park]] use the language of the [[Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!]] game they were transferred to as their language of origin. Pokémon transferred from Pokémon GO via [[GO Transporter]] use the language that was originally set in the mobile version of [[Pokémon HOME]] the first time that the player used it (regardless of the current setting) as their language of origin.

===In-game trade Pokémon with different languages of origin===
Some [[in-game trade]] Pokémon have a different language of origin to the game the trade is conducted in.
* In {{game|Diamond and Pearl|s|Pokémon Diamond, Pearl}}, {{v2|Platinum}}, {{pkmn|Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl|Brilliant Diamond, and Shining Pearl}}, the {{p|Magikarp}} traded by Meister at {{rt|226|Sinnoh}} is German in origin in all languages except German, in which it is Japanese in origin.
* In the English version of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, all Pokémon from in-game trades except for Meister's Magikarp are erroneously Japanese in origin (this was corrected in all other languages and in Pokémon Platinum, Brilliant Diamond, and Shining Pearl).
* In {{game|HeartGold and SoulSilver|s}}, the {{p|Pikachu}} traded by [[Lt. Surge]] is French in origin in the English version, and English in origin in all other languages.
* In the Japanese version of {{game|Black and White|s}}, all Pokémon from in-game trades erroneously have a language of origin value of 0 (this was corrected in all other languages and in Pokémon Black 2 and White 2). Any Pokémon with a language of origin value of 0 has it changed to 1 (Japanese) when [[transfer]]red through [[Poké Transporter]].

==Display==
From [[Generation VI]] onward, a Pokémon's language of origin is displayed on its [[summary]] screen if it differs from the save file's language. In {{g|HOME}}, the language of origin is always displayed even if it matches Pokémon HOME's language.

The language is displayed as an abbreviation of the language name. The exact abbreviation used depends on the current game's language; for example, in English, Japanese is displayed as "JPN", but in Spanish it is displayed as "JAP".

{| class="roundtable" style="border: 3px solid #ccf; background: #ddf;"
! Language
! Abbreviations
|-
| Japanese || {{tt|JPN|Japanese/Japanisch/Japonés}}, {{tt|J|Japanese/Japonais/Japanisch/Japonés}}, {{tt|JAP|Japonais/Japanisch/Japonés}}, {{tt|JAP.|Japonais}}, {{tt|GPN|Giapponese}}, {{tt|G|Giapponese}}
|-
| English || {{tt|ENG|English/Englisch}}, {{tt|E|English}}, {{tt|ANG|Anglais}}, {{tt|ANGL.|Anglais}}, {{tt|ING|Inglese/Inglés}}
|-
| French || {{tt|FRA|French/Français/Francese/Französisch/Francés}}, {{tt|FRE|French}}
|-
| Italian || {{tt|ITA|Italian/Italien/Italiano/Italienisch/Italiano}}, {{tt|ITA.|Italien}}
|-
| German || {{tt|GER|German}}, {{tt|ALL|Allemand}}, {{tt|ALL.|Allemand}}, {{tt|TED|Tedesco}}, {{tt|DEU|Deutsch}}, {{tt|DEUT|Deutsch}}, {{tt|ALE|Alemán}}
|-
| Spanish<br>Spanish (Spain) || {{tt|SPA|Spanish/Spagnolo/Spanisch}}, {{tt|ESP|Espagnol/Español}}, {{tt|ESP.|Espagnol}}<br>{{tt|SP-EU|Spanish (Spain)/Spanisch (Spanien)}}, {{tt|ES-EU|Espagnol (Espagne)}}, {{tt|SPA-E|Spagnolo (Spagna)}}, {{tt|ES-ES|Español (España)}}
|-
| Korean || {{tt|KOR|Korean/Koreanisch}}, {{tt|COR|Coréen/Coreano/Coreano}}, {{tt|CORÉ.|Coréen}}
|-
| Chinese (Simplified) || {{tt|CHS|Chinese (Simplified)/Chinois simplifié/Chino simplificado}}, {{tt|CIN-S|Cinese (semplificato)}}, {{tt|CHV|Chinesisch (vereinfacht)}}
|-
| Chinese (Traditional) || {{tt|CHT|Chinese (Traditional)/Chinois traditionnel/Chinesisch (traditionell)/Chino tradicional}}, {{tt|CIN-T|Cinese (tradizionale)}}
|}

In {{pkmn|Sun and Moon|Pokémon Sun, Moon}}, {{pkmn|Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon|Ultra Sun, and Ultra Moon}}, due to a {{de|Bugs in der siebten Generation#Chinesischer Sprachkürzelfehler|bug}}, the German-language icons displayed on the summary screen for simplified Chinese and traditional Chinese are swapped, being incorrectly displayed as "CHT" and "CHV", respectively.

==Function==
===Generation III===
In Western languages, a Pokémon's language of origin determines which font to use to display its name and Original Trainer. This allows the names and Original Trainers of Pokémon from Japanese games to display correctly, including displaying Latin letters as {{wp|fullwidth}} characters.

In Japanese, the language of origin is entirely ignored—names are always rendered using the Japanese character set. This causes all names to be truncated to five characters (even though they can be up to 10 characters in Western languages). In some cases, this causes characters to render as {{wp|mojibake}}; for example, if the {{DL|In-game trade|Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen|in-game trade}} {{p|Seel}} from Spanish {{game|FireRed and LeafGreen|s}} (whose nickname is normally SEELÍN) is traded to a Japanese game, its nickname will be displayed as ＳＥＥＬコ.

The names of unnicknamed Pokémon remain in their language of origin when traded. {{pkmn|Egg}}s display "Egg" in the language of the current game as their name, rather than "Egg" in their language of origin as in later generations.<!--internally Eggs have a nickname of タマゴ in all languages, but this has no functional effect-->

===Generation IV onward===
[[Outsider Pokémon]] with a different language of origin to the save file gain 1.7× [[experience]] (outsider Pokémon normally gain 1.5× experience).

If two Pokémon are {{pkmn|breeding|bred}} that have different languages of origin to each other, {{pkmn|Egg}}s they produce are more likely to be {{Shiny}}. This is known as the [[Masuda method]].

If a Pokémon with a different language of origin to the save file is obtained, the player gains access to its [[Foreign Pokédex entry|Pokédex entry in its language of origin]]. In {{game|Diamond and Pearl|s}}, this only applies to 14 specific Pokémon; from {{game|Platinum}} onward, this applies to all Pokémon. Korean first became available as a foreign Pokédex entry in Generation V (as the Korean Generation IV games are not compatible with other language games); Traditional and Simplified Chinese first became available as foreign Pokédex entries with their introduction in Generation VII.

In these games, a multi-byte character encoding is used, allowing all languages to use the same character encoding. From Pokémon Diamond and Pearl to {{g|Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon}}, the same font is used for all Pokémon names regardless of the Pokémon's language of origin.

Starting in [[Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!]], [[Character encoding (Generation V-present)|four fonts]] are used for Pokémon names depending on its language of origin: one for Japanese, one for Western languages, one for Korean, one for Simplified Chinese, and one for Traditional Chinese. Due to a bug, unnicknamed [[event Pokémon]] whose language of origin was locked to a specific language were still assigned their species name in the language of the game they were received. Since their Korean and Chinese names can contain characters not present in the font used for Japanese or English text, their nicknames will display as question marks when redeemed in these languages. This bug was fixed in version 1.3.0 of {{g|Scarlet and Violet}}, where they are instead assigned their species name in their language of origin.

The names of unnicknamed Pokémon and {{pkmn|Egg}}s remain in their language of origin when traded. When a Pokémon is hatched or an unnicknamed Pokémon is evolved, its name is updated to its new species name in the save file's language (regardless of its language of origin). When an unnicknamed Pokémon is transferred from a Generation V game to {{g|Bank}} via [[Poké Transporter]], or from Pokémon Bank to [[Pokémon HOME]], its name is reset to its species name in its language of origin.

In {{g|HOME}}, Pokémon can be filtered by language of origin.

==Possible values==
Starting in {{g|Scarlet and Violet}}, the Spanish icon is displayed as "SP-EU" in English, instead of "SPA" as in previous games. This change was later made in Pokémon HOME in version 2.1.0 (mobile) and version 3.0.0 (Switch).

{| class="roundtable" style="border: 3px solid #ccf; background: #ddf;"
! rowspan="2" | #
! colspan="8" | Icon <!--English-->
! rowspan="2" | Language
|-
! {{gameabbrev6|XYORAS}}
! {{gameabbrev7|SMUSUM}}
! {{gameabbrev7|PE}}
! colspan="2" | {{gameabbrev8|SwSh}}{{gameabbrevss|HOME}}
! {{gameabbrev8|BDSP}}
! {{gameabbrev8|LA}}
! {{gameabbrev9|SV}}
|-
| 1
| [[File:JPN language icon XYORAS.png|center|JPN]]
| [[File:JPN language icon SMUSUM.png|center|JPN]]
| [[File:JPN language icon PE.png|x20px|center|JPN]]
| colspan="2" style="background: #000;" | [[File:JPN language icon HOME.png|x20px|center|JPN]]
| style="background: #000;" | [[File:JPN language icon BDSP.png|x20px|center|JPN]]
| [[File:JPN language icon LA.png|x20px|center|JPN]]
| style="background: #000;" | [[File:JPN language icon SV.png|x20px|center|JPN]]
| Japanese
|-
| 2
| [[File:ENG language icon XYORAS.png|center|ENG]]
| [[File:ENG language icon SMUSUM.png|center|ENG]]
| [[File:ENG language icon PE.png|x20px|center|ENG]]
| colspan="2" style="background: #000;" | [[File:ENG language icon HOME.png|x20px|center|ENG]]
| style="background: #000;" | [[File:ENG language icon BDSP.png|x20px|center|ENG]]
| [[File:ENG language icon LA.png|x20px|center|ENG]]
| style="background: #000;" | [[File:ENG language icon SV.png|x20px|center|ENG]]
| English
|-
| 3
| [[File:FRE language icon XYORAS.png|center|FRE]]
| [[File:FRE language icon SMUSUM.png|center|FRE]]
| [[File:FRE language icon PE.png|x20px|center|FRE]]
| colspan="2" style="background: #000;" | [[File:FRE language icon HOME.png|x20px|center|FRE]]
| style="background: #000;" | [[File:FRE language icon BDSP.png|x20px|center|FRE]]
| [[File:FRE language icon LA.png|x20px|center|FRE]]
| style="background: #000;" | [[File:FRE language icon SV.png|x20px|center|FRE]]
| French
|-
| 4
| [[File:ITA language icon XYORAS.png|center|ITA]]
| [[File:ITA language icon SMUSUM.png|center|ITA]]
| [[File:ITA language icon PE.png|x20px|center|ITA]]
| colspan="2" style="background: #000;" | [[File:ITA language icon HOME.png|x20px|center|ITA]]
| style="background: #000;" | [[File:ITA language icon BDSP.png|x20px|center|ITA]]
| [[File:ITA language icon LA.png|x20px|center|ITA]]
| style="background: #000;" | [[File:ITA language icon SV.png|x20px|center|ITA]]
| Italian
|-
| 5
| [[File:GER language icon XYORAS.png|center|GER]]
| [[File:GER language icon SMUSUM.png|center|GER]]
| [[File:GER language icon PE.png|x20px|center|GER]]
| colspan="2" style="background: #000;" | [[File:GER language icon HOME.png|x20px|center|GER]]
| style="background: #000;" | [[File:GER language icon BDSP.png|x20px|center|GER]]
| [[File:GER language icon LA.png|x20px|center|GER]]
| style="background: #000;" | [[File:GER language icon SV.png|x20px|center|GER]]
| German
|-
| 6
|
|
|
| colspan="2" style="background: #000;" |
| style="background: #000;" |
|
| style="background: #000;" |
| ''unused''
|-
| 7
| [[File:SPA language icon XYORAS.png|center|SPA]]
| [[File:SPA language icon SMUSUM.png|center|SPA]]
| [[File:SPA language icon PE.png|x20px|center|SPA]]
| style="background: #000;" | [[File:SPA language icon HOME.png|x20px|center|SPA]]
| style="background: #000;" | [[File:SP-EU language icon HOME.png|x20px|center|SP-EU]]
| style="background: #000;" | [[File:SPA language icon BDSP.png|x20px|center|SPA]]
| [[File:SPA language icon LA.png|x20px|center|SPA]]
| style="background: #000;" | [[File:SP-EU language icon SV.png|x20px|center|SP-EU]]
| Spanish (Spain)
|-
| 8
| [[File:KOR language icon XYORAS.png|center|KOR]]
| [[File:KOR language icon SMUSUM.png|center|KOR]]
| [[File:KOR language icon PE.png|x20px|center|KOR]]
| colspan="2" style="background: #000;" | [[File:KOR language icon HOME.png|x20px|center|KOR]]
| style="background: #000;" | [[File:KOR language icon BDSP.png|x20px|center|KOR]]
| [[File:KOR language icon LA.png|x20px|center|KOR]]
| style="background: #000;" | [[File:KOR language icon SV.png|x20px|center|KOR]]
| Korean
|-
| 9
|
| [[File:CHS language icon SMUSUM.png|center|CHS]]
| [[File:CHS language icon PE.png|x20px|center|CHS]]
| colspan="2" style="background: #000;" | [[File:CHS language icon HOME.png|x20px|center|CHS]]
| style="background: #000;" | [[File:CHS language icon BDSP.png|x20px|center|CHS]]
| [[File:CHS language icon LA.png|x20px|center|CHS]]
| style="background: #000;" | [[File:CHS language icon SV.png|x20px|center|CHS]]
| Chinese (Simplified)
|-
| 10
|
| [[File:CHT language icon SMUSUM.png|center|CHT]]
| [[File:CHT language icon PE.png|x20px|center|CHT]]
| colspan="2" style="background: #000;" | [[File:CHT language icon HOME.png|x20px|center|CHT]]
| style="background: #000;" | [[File:CHT language icon BDSP.png|x20px|center|CHT]]
| [[File:CHT language icon LA.png|x20px|center|CHT]]
| style="background: #000;" | [[File:CHT language icon SV.png|x20px|center|CHT]]
| Chinese (Traditional)
|}

==In other languages==
{{langtable|bordercolor=ccf|color=ddf
|zh_yue=語言 ''Yúhyìhn''
|zh_cmn=語言 / 语言 ''Yǔyán''
|fr=Langue
|de=Sprache
|it=Lingua
|ko=언어 ''Eon-eo''
|es=Idioma
}}

''Specific languages''
{{langlist/h|language|diamond}}
{{langlist|language||Japanese|{{ruby|日本語|にほんご}}|Nihongo|Japonais|Japanisch|Giapponese|Japonés|일본어|Ilboneo|日文<br>日語 / 日语|Rìwén / Yahtmán<br>Rìyǔ / Yahtyúh}}
{{langlist|language||English|{{ruby|英語|えいご}}|Eigo|Anglais|Englisch|Inglese|Inglés|영어|Yeong-eo|英文<br>英語 / 英语|Yīngwén / Yīngmán<br>Yīngyǔ / Yīngyúh}}
{{langlist|language||French|フランス{{ruby|語|ご}}|Furansu-go|Français|Französisch|Francese|Francés|프랑스어|Peurangseueo|法文<br>法語 / 法语|Fǎwén / Faatmàhn<br>Fǎyǔ / Faatyúh}}
{{langlist|language||German|ドイツ{{ruby|語|ご}}|Doitsu-go|Allemand|Deutsch|Tedesco|Alemán|독일어|Dogireo|德文<br>德語 / 德语|Déwén / Dākmàhn<br>Déyǔ / Dākyúh}}
{{langlist|language||Italian|イタリア{{ruby|語|ご}}|Itaria-go|Italien|Italienisch|Italiano|Italiano|이탈리아어|Itallia-eo|義大利文<br>意大利文 / 意大利文<br>義大利語<br>意大利语|Yìdàlìwén / Yihdaaihleihmàhn<br>Yìdàlìwén / Yidaaihleihmàhn<br>Yìdàlìyǔ<br>Yìdàlìyǔ}}
{{langlist|language||Korean|{{ruby|韓国語|かんこくご}}|Kankokugo|Coréen|Koreanisch|Coreano|Coreano|한국어|Han-gugeo|韓文 / 韩文<br>韓語 / 韩语|Hánwén / Hòhnmán<br>Hányǔ / Hòhnyúh}}
{{langlist|language||Spanish|スペイン{{ruby|語|ご}}|Supein-go|Espagnol|Spanisch|Spagnolo|Español|스페인어|Seupeineo|西班牙文<br>西班牙語 / 西班牙语|Xībānyáwén / Sāibāanngàhmàhn<br>Xībānyáyǔ / Sāibāanngàhyúh}}
{{langlist|language||Spanish (Spain)|{{ruby|欧州|おうしゅう}}スペイン{{ruby|語|ご}}|Ōshū Supein-go|Espagnol (Espagne)|Spanisch (Spanien)|Spagnolo (Spagna)|Español (España)|유럽 스페인어|Yureop Seupeineo|歐洲西班牙文<br>欧洲西班牙语|Ōuzhōu Xībānyáwén / Āujāu Sāibāanngàhmàhn<br>Ōuzhōu Xībānyáyǔ}}
{{langlist|language||Chinese (Simplified)|{{ruby|中国語|ちゅうごくご}}（{{ruby|簡体字|かんたいじ}}）|Chūgokugo (Kantaiji)|Chinois simplifié|Chinesisch (vereinfacht)|Cinese (semplificato)|Chino simplificado|중국어/간체자|Junggugeo/Gancheja|簡體中文 / 简体中文|Jiǎntǐ zhōngwén / Gáantái jūngmàhn}}
{{langlist|language||Chinese (Traditional)|{{ruby|中国語|ちゅうごくご}}（{{ruby|繁体字|はんたいじ}}）|Chūgokugo (Hantaiji)|Chinois traditionnel|Chinesisch (traditionell)|Cinese (tradizionale)|Chino tradicional|중국어/번체자|Junggugeo/Beoncheja|繁體中文 / 繁体中文|Fántǐ zhōngwén / Fàahntái jūngmàhn}}
|}

==See also==
* [[Game of origin]]

{{-}}
{{Project Games notice|game mechanic}}

[[Category:Game mechanics]]

[[it:Lingua]]
[[zh:来源语言]]