Have you ever seen of a Pokémon that looks like a duck and carries green onions? This Pokémon is called Farfetch’d. Let’s find out why!
The Background of the Japanese Name “Kamonegi”
This Pokémon is named as “Kamonegi” in Japanese. “Kamo” means “Duck” and “Negi” means “Green Onion.”(aming that reflects the character’s appearance).
But “Kamonegi” actually is also known as Japanese proverb.
If I literally translate the proverb, it would be “a duck that came carrying green onions.” It means that duck is slow-moving creature that are easy to catch and taste delicious. Duck is popular in Japanese cuisine and duck dishes often include green onions. The proverb refers to a situation where a duck, a tasty treat, brings along its own perfect accompaniment, green onions.
The saying is used to describe a situation where someone conveniently and luckily brings exactly what you need, or when a gullible person behaves exactly as someone else wants.
Translations in Other Languages
In other languages, the name is also a combination of words for “Duck” and “Green Onion.” In French, it’s “Canarticho,” where “Canard” means “Duck” and “Artichaut” means “Artichoke” (a vegetable). In German, it’s “Porenta,” with “Porree” meaning “Leek” (a vegetable) and “Ente” meaning “Duck.”
Why is it Named Farfetch’d in English?
As I explained earlier, the Japanese name “Kamonegi” represents a situation that is too good to be true, where a duck conveniently brings along a vegetable that pairs well with it as a dish. Similarly, In my understanding, the English translation “Farfetch’d” also conveys the idea of something that is hard to believe or unlikely. In the English translation, unlike the French and German versions, the name is not a direct translation of the appearance, but rather captures the meaning of the Japanese original.
Now that you know the background of the Japanese name, you can understand why this Pokémon is called Farfetch’d!
