What phrase inspired the name “Pokémon”?

The name “Pokémon” was inspired by the phrase “Pocket Monsters.”

In Japan, the franchise was launched as Pocket Monsters, written in Japanese as Poketto Monsutā. The shortened international form Pokémon combines “pocket” and “monsters,” with an acute accent over the e in the official romanized spelling.

The idea reflects the original Game Boy concept: players could carry creatures in a portable game system and exchange them through the Link Cable. The name also describes the fictional creatures themselves, which can be captured, trained, and stored in Poké Balls.

The word is sometimes mistakenly treated as a generic plural noun. In official usage, Pokémon can refer to one or multiple creatures, while “Pokémon” is also the name of the franchise. The Japanese title Pocket Monsters was retained in Japan, whereas Pokémon became the international brand name used for the games, anime, trading card game, films, and merchandise.