Whether Misty and Ash were your go-to cosplay costumes, or if your Pokémon interest was limited to smirking as your younger sibling begged your parents for a new deck of cards, it’s official: mobile game Pokémon Go has taken over the world.
Despite the sad, sad fact that Pokémon Go hasn’t officially launched in Hong Kong yet, the game’s already augmented local netizens’ realities after one player’s hilarious Cantonese names for the pocket monsters went viral.
New York-based artist Annie Zeng has got us Mew-ing with laughter at her irreverent, tongue-in-cheek Pokénames. Some of them are whimsical, weird and punny – as is befitting of Hong Kong humour – while others are just plain silly. Case in point: Pidgey, became “Jerkjai” – a rough transcription of the Cantonese term for “little bird”.
Photo: Facebook
Likewise, Rattata’s got the literal treatment with “LoShu”, or “rat”. Its evolved form, Ratticate, is simply “DaiLoShu”: “big rat”.
Photo: Facebook
It looks like Zeng may have been hungry when she named some of these… take, for example, this squiggly l’il Tangela, which has been re-dubbed “ChowMein”, AKA fried noodles.
Photo: Facebook
Oh, Bulbasaur. The most overlooked starter Pokémon has been aptly named “9choibao”, as in, those pan-fried chive buns that nobody ever wants at dimsum.
Photo: Facebook
“HamYu” technically means “salted fish”, but it’s also slang for a corpse. We reckon Zeng was gunning for the latter meaning, based on the Pokémon’s lacklustre posture. (Also because Magikarps are fuckin’ deadweights anyway.)
Photo: Facebook
In case you were wondering if Zeng can do black humour: she most certainly can. Dear old Squirtle has been renamed “GuaiLingGo”, or “turtle jelly” in English. We laughed, but it pains us to think of poor little Squirtle getting his shell ripped off and boiled for the jelly used in traditional Chinese medicine.
Photo: Facebook
We’ve always thought of flamin’ Ponytas as “fire ponies”, but “YeetLatLat” (Canto for “sizzling hot”) is pretty good too.
Photo: Facebook
When we first saw what this Gastly had been called, we were like “oh, she went there.” And our lives are better for it. Even Hongkongers with the most rudimentary Cantonese tekkers will know what this one means.
Photo: Facebook
Proving that she’s the hero we deserve, Zeng’s come right out and said what we’ve all thought at least once: that Diglett looks like a phallus. Behold, the newly christened “LunYerng”, i.e. “dick face”. *slowclap*
Photo: Facebook
And lastly, our favourite: “HamSupLo”, or in layman’s terms… “pervy guy”. Yeah, now that we’ve uncovered our repressed childhood memories, we can now admit that you’ve always creeped us out, Lickitung. Keep your tongue in your mouth where it belongs, you overgrown salivary gland.
Photo: Facebook
To check out more of Zeng’s hilarious names for Pokgaimon (see, we can be punny too!), check out her Facebook album, which is being updated on the reg.
