What Japanese title does the name Pokémon abbreviate?

The name Pokémon abbreviates the Japanese title Pocket Monsters.

In Japanese, the franchise is called Poketto Monsutā, written as ポケットモンスター. Pokémon is the romanized and accented contraction used for the international brand. The accent mark helps distinguish the pronunciation and spelling from the ordinary English word “pokemon,” although the brand is commonly written with the acute accent.

The title reflects the original premise: fictional monsters that can be carried, collected, trained, and used in battles. In the first games, the creatures were stored and transported through the game’s fictional technology rather than literally kept in a physical pocket.

The title is sometimes confused with Digimon because both franchises feature collectible or partner creatures. Digimon is a separate Japanese franchise whose name comes from “Digital Monsters,” not from Pokémon’s original title.