Pun on the Latin and Portuguese word ursa, meaning bear, and the name Ursula; Derived from 姉さん, nēsan, which means big sister. Ursala does have the “sisterly” personality. To be honest, Ursala is a much more inspired name
“grooomph”
Vesta; メリヤス, Meriyasu
Reference to vests, which are sometimes made out of wool; It means knitting in Japanese
“baaaffo”
Vesta
Name (Western/Japanese)
Onomatology (West/JP)
Catchphrase
Wart Jr.; サム, Samu
Reference to how frogs can have warts, as well as a reference to Wart from Mario; I admit that I don’t have any concrete sources for the little guy’s JP name, but I have three guesses. 1. Reference to the early Jim Henson and Jane Nabel live action/puppet sketch show Sam and Friends. 2. Reference to Sam Elliot, who appeared in the movie Frogs. 3. Reference to samurai, considering his outfit and décor. Looking at his house especially, I’m convinced that this guess is the most accurate
“grr-ribbit”
Willow; マリー Marī
Possible reference to the golden willow, a variant of white willow, referencing her golden wool; Reference to Mary Had a Little Lamb
“bo peep”
Willow
Name (Western/Japanese)
Onomatology (West/JP)
Catchphrase
Zucker; タコヤ, Takoya
Reference to the suckers on octopus tentacles; Reference to the Japanese food takoyaki, which he very much resembles. And yes, octopus takoyaki exists
“bloop”
Zucker
Before we bid farewell to this subject in the context of AC, I thought it would be fun to look at the names of special AC characters as well.
Name (Western/Japanese)
Onomatology (West/JP)
Bianca; あやしいねこ, ayashī neko
Reference to her blank face; You may want to sit down for this, because ayashī neko literally means… Suspicious Cat in Japanese. Art.
Blathers; フータ, Fūta
So named for his tendency to, well, blather on; It means hooter in Japanese
Blathers
Name (Western/Japanese)
Onomatology (West/JP)
Booker; おまわりさんB・もんばんさんA, Omawari-san B; Monban-san A
Reference to how police officers book suspects; Literally Policeman A or Gatekeeper B
Booker
Name (Western/Japanese)
Onomatology (West/JP)
Brewster; マスター, Masutā
Reference to brewed coffee; Reference to his status as a brewmaster
C.J.; ジャスティン, Jasutin
Reference to Chip, the host of fishing tournaments in previous games. Could C.J. be Chip’s son?; He’s a beaver. Named Justin. Eh? Ehh?
C.J. is much cuter than Chip. My tea is hot
Name (Western/Japanese)
Onomatology (West/JP)
Celeste; フーコ Fūko
Reference to the stars above, which she helps the player observe via the museum observatory; Likely a portmanteau of the Japanese word for owl and the feminine name suffix -ko
Celeste
Name (Western/Japanese)
Onomatology (West/JP)
Copper; おまわりさんA・もんばんさんB Omawari-san A; Monban-san B
Reference to, well, cops; Literally Policeman B or Gatekeeper A. Jeez, no wonder they were renamed in other regions
Digby; ケント, Kento
Probable reference to how dogs like to bury things; Reference to the Chinese word for dog (ken)
Gulliver; ジョニー Jonī
Reference to Gulliver’s Travels; It means journey in Japanese
Isabelle; しずえ Shizue
Isabelle is a name that references “beauty”, and I thought that in this context it was referencing Isabelle’s cuteness… but take a closer look at her design. Her name is a reference to how a bag of bells looks; Reference to her and Digby’s species (Shih Tzu)
Jack; パンプキング, Panpukingu
Reference to jack-o’-lanterns; It means “Pumpking”
Katie; まいこちゃん, Maiko-chan
Reference to kitty; Reference to maigo (“lost child”, which she frequently is)
Katrina; ハッケミィ, Hakkemī
Reference to “cat” (specifically, she’s a panther, the only one thus far in the series); Reference to the Bagua, the Eight Trigrams in Taoist cosmology
Kicks; シャンク, Shanku
Reference to, well, kicks (shoes); Portmanteau of shoe and skunk
Kicks
Name (Western/Japanese)
Onomatology (West/JP)
Pascal; ラコスケ, Rakosuke
Possible reference to French philosopher, or the unit of measurement of the same name; Rako is Japanese for otter, and -suke is a Japanese masculine name suffix
Tom Nook; たぬきち Tanukichi
Both of his names reference the fact that he is a tanuki
Wisp; ゆうたろう, Yūtarō
Reference to will-o’-the-wisp; Portmanteau of yurei (“ghost”) and the masculine name suffix -taro
Wisp. He kinda looks like a Boo from Mario, doesn’t he?
My takeaway from the special character names is that I wasn’t prepared for how literal a lot of their names are in Japanese.
Probable reference to a scooter. People who wear scooters should wear helmets, like the one that Scoot always wears; It means to guard or protect, like the helmet on his head!
“zip zoom”
Sheldon; クリス, Kurisu
Reference to how some nuts have shells; Portmanteau of kuri (chestnut) and risu (squirrel). It can also be translated as Chris
“cardio”
Sherb; レム, Remu
Possible reference to the color of his fur resembling blue sherbet ice cream; Reference to REM sleep (Sherb is a villager with the lazy personality type to boot)
Reference to Snake from Metal Gear. This has to make Snake objectively the best villager in the franchise; Reference to the Momochi ninja clan that founded the Iga school of ninjutsu
“bunyip”
Snake
Name (Western/Japanese)
Onomatology (West/JP)
Catchphrase
Sprinkle; フラッペ, Furappe
Reference to sprinkles as an ice cream topping. Could it also be a reference to a sprinkling of snow?; Reference to Frappé coffee
“frappe”
Sprinkle
Name (Western/Japanese)
Onomatology (West/JP)
Catchphrase
Sprocket; ヘルツ, Herutsu
Reference to the machine part; Reference to hertz, the “derived unit of frequency”
“zort”
Stitches; パッチ, Pacchi
Possible reference to the stitches that keep the seams of stuffed animals together; Possible reference to patchwork
“stuffin’”
Stitches
Name (Western/Japanese)
Onomatology (West/JP)
Catchphrase
Sydney; シドニー, Shidonī
Both of her names reference the city of Sydney in Australia
“sunshine”
Sydney
Name (Western/Japanese)
Onomatology (West/JP)
Catchphrase
Tabby; トラこ, Torako
Reference to how she is a tabby; Tora means tiger, and -ko is a feminine name suffix in Japanese
“me-WOW”
Tangy; ヒャクパー, Hyakupā
Reference to the taste of citrus; A contraction of 100 percent in Japanese, referencing 100% juice concentrate
“reeeeOWR”
Tangy
Name (Western/Japanese)
Onomatology (West/JP)
Catchphrase
T-Bone; ボルシチ, Borushichi
Reference to T-bone steaks; It means borscht in Japanese
“moocher”
Tia; ティーナ, Tīna
Reference to tea; Now this name may not seem like anything special, but look closely. The first vowel is dragged out to sound more like the Japanese pronunciation of tea
“teacup”
Tia
Name (Western/Japanese)
Onomatology (West/JP)
Catchphrase
Tiffany; バズレー, Bazurē
Reference to Audrey Hepburn’s appearance in Breakfast at Tiffany’s; Derived from abazure (mean or unpleasant woman)
“bun bun”
Timbra; つかさ, Tsukasa
Reference to timbre, a type of wood; It means pine cone, which is what she resembles
“pine nut”
Timbra
Name (Western/Japanese)
Onomatology (West/JP)
Catchphrase
Twiggy; ピーチク, Pīchiku
Reference to how birds use twigs to help build their nests; It means chirp or tweet in Japanese. Personally, I think it may also be a reference to Pikachu, considering how Twiggy kind of resembles it in her design
“cheepers”
Twiggy
Name (Western/Japanese)
Onomatology (West/JP)
Catchphrase
Tybalt; ハリマオ, Harimao
Reference to Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet, who was nicknamed the “Prince of Cats”’; Reference to Harimau, which means tiger in Malay. Harimau was also the nickname of Tani Yukata, who became a bandit out of revenge for his sisters. It’s a very dark story
Reference to a rattling cough; Japanese onomatopoeia for coughing or sneezing. It also kind of sounds like the honorific suffix -kun
“aaach-”
Reneigh; リアーナ, Riāna
A pun on her species (horse); Reference to pop star and billionaire makeup mogul, Rihanna, one of my personal favorites
“ayup yup”
Reneigh
Name (Western/Japanese)
Onomatology (West/JP)
Catchphrase
Ribbot; ガチャ, Gacha
A pun on the frog sound, ribbit, and his robotic appearance; Gacha is the Japanese onomatopoeia for metal rattling
“toady”; “zzrrbbitt”
Ribbot. Is he mortal, or machine? Either way, he’s a villager with an inventive design
Name (Western/Japanese)
Onomatology (West/JP)
Catchphrase
Rilla; リラ Rira
A pun on her species (gorilla)
“hello”
Rilla
Name (Western/Japanese)
Onomatology (West/JP)
Catchphrase
Roald; ペンタ, Penta
Reference to Roald Amundsen, the first person to reach Antarctica. It may also be a pun on the word cold, which rhymes with Roald’s name; Derived from pengin, the Japanese word for penguin
“b-b-buddy”
Roald
Name (Western/Japanese)
Onomatology (West/JP)
Catchphrase
Robin; パーチク, Pāchiku
Reference to her species; Derived from the Japanese phrase for birds chirping
“la-di-da”; “tweet-tawoo” (Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer)
Rocket; 4ごう, Yon Gō
I don’t know why she’s called Rocket, except that it sounds cool. The only superhero that I can think of with “rocket” in their name in Rocket Raccoon; It references how she’s the fourth member of the same team as Agent S, Big Top, Filly, and Kid Cat
“vroom”
Roscoe; シュバルツ, Shubarutsu
Reference to the award winning horse jockey Roscoe Goose; It’s Japanese for the German word schwartz, meaning black, matching Roscoe’s coloration. Honestly, it’s the cooler name of the two
“nay”
Ruby; ルナ, Runa
Reference to her ruby red eyes as an albino bunny; Reference to the Japanese myth involving bunnies and the moon, and may be a reference to how the moon is frequently portrayed as white, even though it’s actually gray and splotchy
Video Game Journals 
You must be logged in to post a comment.