Unown symbols

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Unown symbols in the Ruins of Alph

Unown symbols (Japanese: アンノーン文字(もじ) Unknown characters), also known as Unown letters, are a form of ancient writing resembling the Pokémon Unown that appear in the Johto and Sinnoh regions.

In the games

Unown text is present in the core series Pokémon games Pokémon Gold, Silver, Crystal, Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold, SoulSilver, Brilliant Diamond, Shining Pearl, and Legends: Arceus, where it is used to write the Latin alphabet with words separated by spaces. It is also used decoratively to spell out "CRYSTAL" during the game intro and on the Game Boy Color-only error screen.

The symbols used for Unown text in each game are displayed in the table below.

Games Use A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z ! ?
GSC Font A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
GSC Ruins of Alph wall A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
C Hidden chambers A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
DPPtHGSS Font A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z ! ?
HGSS Hidden chambers floor A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
BDSP Font A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z ! ?
LA Font A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z ! ?

Inscriptions in Johto

Unown Mode

Unown Mode with all 26 Unown forms listed

In Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal, the Unown Mode associates each form of Unown with a word written in Unown symbols that begins with the same letter. All language versions use the same English words.

In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, the same words are included as regular text in the Unown Report, with three changes: the word "?????" is added, representing Unown ?; the word "!!!!!" is added, representing Unown !; and the word "ANGER" replaces "ANGRY" in non-Japanese versions.

Form Unown Text
A ANGRY ANGRY
B BEAR BEAR
C CHASE CHASE
D DIRECT DIRECT
E ENGAGE ENGAGE
F FIND FIND
G GIVE GIVE
H HELP HELP
I INCREASE INCREASE
J JOIN JOIN
K KEEP KEEP
L LAUGH LAUGH
M MAKE MAKE
N NUZZLE NUZZLE
O OBSERVE OBSERVE
P PERFORM PERFORM
Q QUICKEN QUICKEN
R REASSURE REASSURE
S SEARCH SEARCH
T TELL TELL
U UNDO UNDO
V VANISH VANISH
W WANT WANT
X XXXXX XXXXX
Y YIELD YIELD
Z ZOOM ZOOM

Ruins of Alph

The walls of the Ruins of Alph feature Unown text as decoration.

In Pokémon Crystal, HeartGold, and SoulSilver, the four puzzle chambers in the Ruins of Alph have Unown text on the far wall that is a hint to unlocking a secret room, where there are inscriptions detailing the relationship between ancient people and the Unown. In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver only, once the first seven pages of the report are complete and the 26 alphabetic Unown forms have been caught, a fifth inscription can be read in the entrance room. This text is localized into the language of the game, with Japanese and Korean games displaying romanized text.

Upper-right entrance
Crystal
Unown Text
ESCAPE ESCAPE
OUR WORDS SHALL
REMAIN HERE FOR
THE AGES
OUR WORDS SHALL
REMAIN HERE FOR
THE AGES
HeartGold and SoulSilver
Unown Text
ESCAPE ESCAPE
OUR CLAN
ENGRAVED WORDS
IN THIS PLACE
OUR CLAN
ENGRAVED WORDS
IN THIS PLACE
Lower-right entrance
Crystal
Unown Text
LIGHT LIGHT
THUS WE SHALL
ERECT A POKEMON
STATUE OUTSIDE
THUS WE SHALL
ERECT A POKEMON
STATUE OUTSIDE
HeartGold and SoulSilver
Unown Text
LIGHT LIGHT
OUR CLAN
CREATED POKEMON
STATUE OUTSIDE
OUR CLAN
CREATED POKEMON
STATUE OUTSIDE
Lower-left entrance
Crystal
Unown Text
WATER WATER
THEY POSSESS
GREAT INSIGHT
AND REFUSE THE
OUTSIDE WORLD
THEY POSSESS
GREAT INSIGHT
AND REFUSE THE
OUTSIDE WORLD
HeartGold and SoulSilver
Unown Text
WATER WATER
THEY POSSESS
POWER TO SENSE
WITH MIND AND
REJECT OUTSIDE
THEY POSSESS
POWER TO SENSE
WITH MIND AND
REJECT OUTSIDE
Upper-left entrance
Crystal
Unown Text
HO OH HO OH
WE HUMANS MUST
LEARN TO WALK IN
HARMONY WITH
THEM
WE DEPART FOR
THEIR SAKES
WE HUMANS MUST
LEARN TO WALK IN
HARMONY WITH
THEM
WE DEPART FOR
THEIR SAKES
HeartGold and SoulSilver
Unown Text
HO OH HO OH
WE HUMANS
NEED TO
WALK WITH
THEM
WE LEAVE
HERE
FOR THE SAKE
OF THEM
WE HUMANS
NEED TO
WALK WITH
THEM
WE LEAVE
HERE
FOR THE SAKE
OF THEM
Hall entrance
HeartGold and SoulSilver
Unown Text
OUR FRIENDS LOOK
UP AND HEARTILY
CONGRATULATE US
OUR FRIENDS LOOK
UP AND HEARTILY
CONGRATULATE US

Inscriptions in Sinnoh/Hisui

Solaceon Ruins

The writing in Legends: Arceus

In Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, Brilliant Diamond, Shining Pearl, there are three inscriptions in the Solaceon Ruins. The first room on 1F has an inscription that indicates which sets of stairs to take to pass through the chambers containing Unown F, R, I, E, N, and D. In the last of these rooms on B4F, another inscription is located there. The room on 2F accessible from the Maniac Tunnel contains the last inscription.

In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, only the inscription from the last room is present. The player must recover the lost Wall Fragment from the Miss Fortune sisters to make the carvings readable.

In Japanese, English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish games, this text is localized into the language of the game, with Japanese games displaying romanized text. In Korean and Chinese games, the English text is displayed, except for "?!" which is written as "!?" in Korean instead.

Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum
Floor Unown Text
1F TOP RIGHT
LOWER LEFT
TOP RIGHT
TOP LEFT
TOP LEFT
LOWER LEFT
TOP RIGHT
LOWER LEFT
TOP RIGHT
TOP LEFT
TOP LEFT
LOWER LEFT
B4F FRIENDSHIP
ALL LIVES
TOUCH OTHER
LIVES TO CREATE
SOMETHING
ANEW AND ALIVE
FRIENDSHIP
ALL LIVES
TOUCH OTHER
LIVES TO CREATE
SOMETHING
ANEW AND ALIVE
2F ?! ?!
Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl
Floor Unown Text
1F TOP RIGHT
LOWER LEFT
TOP RIGHT
TOP LEFT
TOP LEFT
LOWER LEFT
TOP RIGHT
LOWER LEFT
TOP RIGHT
TOP LEFT
TOP LEFT
LOWER LEFT
B4F FRIENDSHIP
ALL LIVES TOUCH OTHER
LIVES TO CREATE
SOMETHING ANEW
AND ALIVE
FRIENDSHIP
ALL LIVES TOUCH OTHER
LIVES TO CREATE
SOMETHING ANEW
AND ALIVE
2F ?! ?!
Legends: Arceus
Unown Text
ALL LIVES
TOUCH OTHER
LIVES TO CREATE
SOMETHING
ANEW AND ALIVE
ALL LIVES
TOUCH OTHER
LIVES TO CREATE
SOMETHING
ANEW AND ALIVE

Unown Research Notes

The Unown Research Notes

In Pokémon: Legends Arceus, the Unown Research Notes provide hints for the locations of each form of Unown. In Japanese, English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish games, this text is localized into the language of the game, with Japanese games displaying romanized text. In Korean and Chinese games, the English text is displayed, though two of the phrases are modified to remove references to proper nouns ("of Celestica" is changed to "of the foothill temple", and "the greatest glacial legacy" is changed to "the largest ice block").

Form Unown Text
A WITHIN   THE
SETTLEMENT   WHERE
TIME   RULES
WITHIN THE
SETTLEMENT WHERE
TIME RULES
B TURN   YOUR   EYES
UP   AT   THE
VOLCANIC   ISLAND
TURN YOUR EYES
UP AT THE
VOLCANIC ISLAND
C LOOK   TO   THE   RUINED
PILLARS   OF   CELESTICA
LOOK TO THE RUINED
PILLARS OF CELESTICA
D AMONG   STUMPS   AND
CAMPFIRE   ASHES   IN
FIELDS   OF   GOLD
AMONG STUMPS AND
CAMPFIRE ASHES IN
FIELDS OF GOLD
E A   LONE   TREE   IN   A
POND   IN   THE   GROVE
A LONE TREE IN A
POND IN THE GROVE
F A   STONY   OUTCROP
OVER   POOLS   OF   MUD
ON   A   MIGHTY   MOUNTAIN
A STONY OUTCROP
OVER POOLS OF MUD
ON A MIGHTY MOUNTAIN
G ATOP   A   WATERFALL
OF   OBSIDIAN
ATOP A WATERFALL
OF OBSIDIAN
H A   VILLAGE   GATEWAY A VILLAGE GATEWAY
I THE   LAKE   ISLAND   WHERE
EMOTION   RESIDES
THE LAKE ISLAND WHERE
EMOTION RESIDES
J A   NOOK   WITHIN   A   QUARRY A NOOK WITHIN A QUARRY
K WHERE   STONES   PILE   HIGH
AMID   FOGBOUND   RUINS
WHERE STONES PILE HIGH
AMID FOGBOUND RUINS
L AN   IMPASSE   IN   A   CAVE
ADORNED   BY   TWIN   FALLS
AN IMPASSE IN A CAVE
ADORNED BY TWIN FALLS
M A   TREE   FELLED   ON   SLUDGE A TREE FELLED ON SLUDGE
N TWO   HORNS   RISING
FROM   THE   SEA
TWO HORNS RISING
FROM THE SEA
O THREE   PILLARS   IN
A   WORLD   OF   ICE
THREE PILLARS IN
A WORLD OF ICE
P AMONG   FLOWERS   AT   THE
SPRING   WHERE   FAIRIES   DWELL
AMONG FLOWERS AT THE
SPRING WHERE FAIRIES DWELL
Q TWIN   TREES   AT   THE
SPRING   BY   THE   SEA
TWIN TREES AT THE
SPRING BY THE SEA
R BY   THE   GRAVE   UPON   THE   CAPE BY THE GRAVE UPON THE CAPE
S WHERE   STICK   AND   LOG
DAM   THE   RIVER
WHERE STICK AND LOG
DAM THE RIVER
T GAZE   DOWN   FROM   ATOP   THE
GREATEST   GLACIAL   LEGACY
GAZE DOWN FROM ATOP THE
GREATEST GLACIAL LEGACY
U THE   UNUSUAL   STONE
STARING   OUT   ACROSS
THE   SNOWFIELDS
THE UNUSUAL STONE
STARING OUT ACROSS
THE SNOWFIELDS
V A   WITHERED   TREE   IN   THE
SPRAWLING   RED   SWAMP
A WITHERED TREE IN THE
SPRAWLING RED SWAMP
W THE   LEFT   EYE   ATOP
THE   VILLAGE
THE LEFT EYE ATOP
THE VILLAGE
X SCALE   THE   GRANDTREE SCALE THE GRANDTREE
Y SCALE   THE   FROZEN   FALLS SCALE THE FROZEN FALLS
Z A   TIMEWORN   SHIP
ON   A   SANDY   SHORE
A TIMEWORN SHIP
ON A SANDY SHORE
! A   DEAD   TREE
BY   THE   HOT   SPRING
A DEAD TREE
BY THE HOT SPRING
? WHERE   THINGS   HANG   TO   DRY
AT   LIVING   QUARTERS
WHERE THINGS HANG TO DRY
AT LIVING QUARTERS

In the spin-off games

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series

In Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time, Explorers of Darkness, and Explorers of Sky, the player, their partner, and Grovyle find a stone tablet inscribed with Unown letters at the Old Ruins in the Hidden Land. Grovyle states that the runes are the written form of an ancient language, and that the text says to place the Relic Fragment in the Rainbow Stoneship in order to activate it and take it to Temporal Tower.

In animation

The tablet

Unown text is used to spell "ENTEI" on the Japanese logo and English poster for Spell of the Unown: Entei.

Unown symbols were observed on a tablet located in Amity Square in Top-Down Training!, where Cynthia reads the text aloud. The same text appeared again at the Solaceon Ruins in Journey to the Unown!. It contains the Unown text from B4F of the Solaceon Ruins in the Japanese versions of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl.

Unown Text Dub translation
FRIEND
SUBETE NO INOCHI HA
BETSU NO INOCHI TO DEAI
NANIKA WO UMIDASU
FRIEND
SUBETE NO INOCHI HA
BETSU NO INOCHI TO DEAI
NANIKA WO UMIDASU
 
When every life
meets another life,
something will be born.

In the manga

Unown text in Pokémon Adventures

Pokémon Adventures

Gold, Silver & Crystal arc

While Bugsy searched for Suicune in Hurray for Heracross, he found two chambers in the Ruins of Alph with Unown markings. Using his device to translate them, they read the following, matching the Unown text from two of the chambers in the Japanese versions of Pokémon Crystal.

Unown Text Translation
ANANUKE ANANUKE ESCAPE (VIZ)
ROPE ESCAPE (CY)
HOUOU HOUOU HO-OH


In the TCG

The Unown cards released during the Neo Series and Diamond & Pearl Series feature the Unown symbol corresponding to the form featured on the card as part of the card's name, followed by the corresponding letter as regular text in square brackets (such as "Unown A [A]").

The Neo Series cards additionally write the name of the card's Pokémon Power as Unown text, followed by the name as regular text in square brackets (such as "ANGER [Anger]"); these names are listed below. Most of them match the word associated with the given form in the Unown Mode in the games.

Unown Text Card English
Expansion
Japanese
Expansion
Anger [Anger] Unown A Neo Discovery Crossing the Ruins...
Bear [Bear] Unown B Neo Revelation Awakening Legends
Chase [Chase] Unown C Neo Destiny Darkness, and to Light...
Darkness [Darkness] Unown D Neo Discovery Crossing the Ruins...
Engage [Engage] Unown E Neo Discovery Unnumbered Promotional cards
Find [Find] Unown F Neo Discovery Crossing the Ruins...
Give [Give] Unown G Neo Destiny Darkness, and to Light...
Help [Help] Unown H Neo Destiny Darkness, and to Light...
Increase [Increase] Unown I Neo Discovery Crossing the Ruins...
Join [Join] Unown J Wizards Black Star Promos Unnumbered Promotional cards
Keep [Keep] Unown K Neo Revelation Awakening Legends
Laugh [Laugh] Unown L Neo Destiny Darkness, and to Light...
Metal [Metal] Unown M Neo Discovery Crossing the Ruins...
Normal [Normal] Unown N Neo Discovery Unnumbered Promotional cards
Observe [Observe] Unown O Neo Discovery Unnumbered Promotional cards
Perform [Perform] Unown P Neo Destiny Darkness, and to Light...
Quicken [Quicken] Unown Q Neo Destiny Darkness, and to Light...
Reassure [Reassure] Unown R Unnumbered Promotional cards
Search [Search] Unown S Neo Destiny Darkness, and to Light...
Tell [Tell] Unown T Neo Destiny Darkness, and to Light...
Undo [Undo] Unown U Neo Discovery Crossing the Ruins...
Vanish [Vanish] Unown V Neo Destiny Darkness, and to Light...
Want [Want] Unown W Neo Destiny Darkness, and to Light...
XXXXX [XXXXX] Unown X Neo Destiny Darkness, and to Light...
Yield [Yield] Unown Y Neo Revelation Awakening Legends
Zoom [Zoom] Unown Z Neo Destiny Darkness, and to Light...

The Alph Lithograph cards have most of their text written in Unown letters, including the card type, the text box, and the collector card number (in Western languages). Each card features a key to decode the Unown text as its illustration.

Card type Text box Collector card number Card Expansion
Unown Text Unown Text Unown Text
TRAINER TRAINER LOOK AT YOUR
OPPONENTS
HAND!
Look at your
opponent's
hand!
ONE ONE Alph Lithograph HeartGold & SoulSilver
SHUFFLE
YOUR DECK!
Shuffle
your deck!
TWO TWO Alph Lithograph Unleashed
RETURN ANY
STADIUM CARD
IN PLAY TO ITS
PLAYERS HAND!
Return any
Stadium card
in play to its
player's hand!
THREE THREE Alph Lithograph Undaunted
LOOK AT ALL OF
YOUR FACE DOWN
PRIZE CARDS!
LOOK AT ALL OF
YOUR FACE DOWN
PRIZE CARDS!
FOUR FOUR Alph Lithograph Triumphant

Trivia

Artwork from the Game Freak website
  • Artwork of Whitney and Ethan in the Ruins of Alph from the Game Freak website features the Unown text "WELCOME TO GAMEFREAK".
  • Unused text in Pokémon Crystal would have displayed "It's Unown text!" when the inscriptions in the puzzle chambers in the Ruins of Alph are examined. In the final games, only "Patterns appeared on the walls..." is shown.
  • Although most Unown text is written without punctuation apart from spaces, exclamation marks, or question marks, it has rarely been written mixed with regular letters or punctuation.
    • The French versions of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond, Shining Pearl, and Legends: Arceus include regular punctuation in the inscription in the Solaceon Ruins.
Unown Text
CHAQUE VIE ENGENDRE
DE NOUVELLES CHOSES
EN S'UNISSANT
A D'AUTRES VIES.
CHAQUE VIE ENGENDRE
DE NOUVELLES CHOSES
EN S'UNISSANT
A D'AUTRES VIES.
  • Prior to version 1.1.3, the French versions of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl letter additionally rendered the letter "À" as regular text.
Unown Text
EN HAUT À DROITE
EN BAS À GAUCHE
EN HAUT À DROITE
EN HAUT À GAUCHE
EN HAUT À GAUCHE
EN BAS À GAUCHE
EN HAUT À DROITE
EN BAS À GAUCHE
EN HAUT À DROITE
EN HAUT À GAUCHE
EN HAUT À GAUCHE
EN BAS À GAUCHE
FRIEND
CHAQUE VIE ENGENDRE
DE NOUVELLES CHOSES
EN S'UNISSANT
À D'AUTRES VIES.
FRIEND
CHAQUE VIE ENGENDRE
DE NOUVELLES CHOSES
EN S'UNISSANT
À D'AUTRES VIES.
  • In version 1.0.0, the Spanish versions of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl displayed the inscription of the second floor of the Solaceon Ruins with parentheses. This was carried over from the original games, where they were present in the internal data, but were not displayed visibly.
Unown Text
(?!) (?!)

In other languages

Language Title
France Flag.png French Signes Zarbi
Germany Flag.png German Icognito-Schriftzeichen
Italy Flag.png Italian Caratteri Unown
South Korea Flag.png Korean 안농문자 Annong munja
Spain Flag.png Spanish Caracteres Unown

See also

Project Games logo.png This game-related article is part of Project Games, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon games.