For those unfamiliar with the Japanese concept of goroawase (語呂合わせ), meaning pun, or play on words, it’s a system in which the pronunciation of numbers is used to create new phrases. It’s often used as a mnemonic device for studying or in marketing, where companies create a clever phrase to go with the way their phone number is pronounced. However, it’s most commonly used to assign unofficial holidays to the Japanese calendar. For instance, the date 2/22 in Japanese sounds like the cry of a cat, so the date is known as “Cat Day” in Japan.
But what does this have to do with Pokémon Sword & Shield, you ask? As found by YouTuber HoopsandHipHop, while speculating on the meaning of the numbers on Gym Leader’s Milo and Nessa’s jerseys, two characters in the game, it was found that the numbers can be translated into relevant phrases using the goroawase method. Milo’s jersey number, 831, can be broken down into ya (8), sa (3), and i (1), which becomes the word yasai (野菜), or vegetable. Similarly, Nessa’s number, 049, can be read as oyogu (泳ぐ), or the verb “to swim.” While that last one may seem like a stretch, there are numerous interpretations of readings for each number depending on which pronunciation system you use, whether you stretch out your pronunciation of vowels and consonants, or even if you add in n (ん) to your interpretation.
Whether or not the numbers really do have a significance, or were put into the game by a programmer looking to have a bit of fun is unknown. For now, it serves as a cute Easter Egg of sorts, making me wonder exactly what other numbers in the trailers could be translated into using goroawase. As an example, I translated the jersey number of the protagonist from Pokémon Sword & Shield’s reveal trailer. The number, 65, can be translated as mugon (無言), or silent. Pretty fitting, since Pokémon protagonists don’t speak. However, I’m unable to translate the newest jersey number found in the E3 demo, 227, into an actual word. Let us know in the comments if you manage to figure it out, or for more fun with goroawase, check out this translator.
