ピカチュウ
Your name
Pikachu
in Japanese
The default way to write Pikachu in Japanese is ピカチュウ — a phonetic katakana spelling that captures the sound and signals, instantly to a Japanese reader, that the name comes from elsewhere. But katakana is only one of three answers Japanese gives to a foreign name.
Below, we show all three. First the official katakana. Then a set of meaning kanji chosen to express what Pikachu actually means at the root — From Japanese onomatopoeia: ピカピカ (pikapika, sparkling/flashing of electricity) + チュウ (chuu, the squeak of a mouse). Finally a set of ateji, the playful tradition where the kanji match the sound and tell their own small story underneath.
Katakana — Phonetic
How Pikachu is most commonly written in Japanese — used on official documents, business cards, and signage.
Meaning Kanji — Etymology
"Pikachu" means: From Japanese onomatopoeia: ピカピカ (pikapika, sparkling/flashing of electricity) + チュウ (chuu, the squeak of a mouse). Coined name meaning roughly 'sparkling mouse-squeak' — an electric mouse.
光鼠
Hikarinezumi
Literally 'light-mouse'.
閃鳴
Senmei
'Flash-cry' — a creature whose voice and light arrive together.
雷音
Raion
'Thunder-sound' — the essence of an electric mouse.
Ateji — Sound + Meaning
Where the sound matches and the kanji tell their own small story. The Edo scholars and modern manga authors both played this game.
光迦宙
Pikachuu
'Light across the cosmos' — mystical and cool.
皮華中
Pikachuu
'Splendor at the center of the skin' — a cute reading suggesting a small creature blooming with charm.
飛火宙
Pikachuu
'Sparks leaping across the sky' — playful and electric, evoking lightning in flight.
Not sure which form to use?
Katakana, meaning kanji, and ateji each belong to a different part of Japanese life — official paperwork, calligraphy and gifts, signatures and wordplay. Our full guide walks through when to reach for each one.
Read the guide: the three ways to write your name in Japanese →
Seven, drawn