Talking Pokémon

Talking Pokémon are Pokémon who can speak a human language. The human language itself is not clearly depicted, and all people in the Pokémon world seem to speak one common language, which is always referred to just as human language (however, since Generation IV, it is possible to collect foreign Pokédex entries, and there are NPCs who speak foreign languages). While it appears that all Pokémon can understand human speech, very few can communicate with humans, except via body language. There are exceptions to this, however, depending on the version of the Pokémon world being depicted.

In the games

In Red, Blue, and Yellow and their Generation III remakes, Copycat's Doduo is able to speak a line of human language when approached. Also, Bill, when transformed into a Pokémon, can speak human language from his house on Cerulean Cape. In addition, the Marowak's ghost can talk.

In Generation II and their Generation IV remakes, a Murkrow owned by Team Rocket tells the player the password to the generator room in the Team Rocket HQ.

In Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald and their Generation VI remakes, Mr. Stone wants to be able to communicate with Pokémon, so he started a project for Devon Corporation intending to build a translation device for Pokémon; however, not much progress has been made.

Prior to the events of Pokémon XD, Dr. Kaminko developed a device that was meant to translate a Pokémon's speech, but it failed and was scrapped. A major post-ending quest details the player's efforts to undo its effects when it is accidentally released by Chobin.

Generation IV introduced Chatot, a Pokémon mentioned as being able to speak the human language through the use of its Chatter move.

Darkrai is not able to speak directly, but it is presumed that the man inside the Harbor Inn is an illusion created by Darkrai, through which it is able to communicate with the player.

In Black 2 and White 2, if the player visits Lostlorn Forest, a Zoroark is disguised as a backpacker who talks to the player before dispelling its illusion and leaving. Also, in Pokéstar Studios, the final film of the Love and Battles Series has a talking Smeargle, and the Timegate Traveler Series features a talking Ledian.

In Sun and Moon and Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, the most notable Pokémon that speaks is Rotom. However, Rotom is only able to speak when inside the Rotom Pokédex. In Sun and Moon only, Tapu Koko also speaks to the player through their Z-Ring before challenging them to a battle at the end of the game. A Mimikyu at the Aether House tells the player it will curse them when spoken to as well. An Oranguru in the Konikoni City apparel shop also tells the player to "Gu do it!"

In Sword and Shield, a Honedge in the Rose of the Rondelands hotel will bid the player welcome if approached.

In Hey You, Pikachu!, the game centers around using a special device called a PokéHelper that translates certain human-language words into something wild Pikachu can understand. In this game's spiritual successor, Pokémon Channel, various Pokémon appear as hosts and stars of TV shows, with their speech subtitled into the local human language.

Certain Pokémon are also capable of using telepathy, such as the Regigigas in Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia.

It may not be known if all Pokémon, wild or not, are able to understand everyday human speech in the games, as said in Lapras's Pokédex entry, where it describes its ability of human speech comprehension. The Pokédex entries for Latias state that it is able to understand human speech, and it is also said that it can telepathically speak with humans.

In the Mystery Dungeon games and special anime episodes, all Pokémon can talk (minus Jynx). This includes the player, who was transformed into a Pokémon. However, since there are no human characters in the Mystery Dungeon games, it is entirely possible that these Pokémon are not, in fact, speaking human language, but rather their own Pokémon language, which the player can understand as a result of being a Pokémon themselves.

In the PokéPark games, all Pokémon can talk. However, like in the Mystery Dungeon games, there are no human characters in the game, suggesting that the Pokémon are simply speaking Pokémon language in between each other, which the player character is able to understand due to being a Pokémon as well. This is further supported by all the Pokémon having their voices from the anime and their speech only appearing in text boxes.

In Detective Pikachu, the player character, Tim Goodman, is partners with a talking Detective Pikachu. However, only the player seems to be able to hear Pikachu's talking voice. In addition, the game also features a Mewtwo, which is able to talk via telepathy.

In the anime

Understanding of human language

Although The Poké Spokesman states that Pokémon cannot directly understand human speech, this is contradicted by many other episodes before and since in the anime. Moreover, judging, for instance, from Larvitar in Hatch Me If You Can, they are able to do this immediately after hatching, without having to learn.

The anime generally does not focus on language problems, so as a result, there is some confusion about Pokémon language and the ability of Pokémon to understand humans. Although it is obvious that all Pokémon can understand each other, Meowth in Go West Young Meowth once mentions Meowth language, and Jessie in Who's Flying Now? mentions Chimecho language, so it is not clear whether there is a common Pokémon language, or every species has its own.

As far as human language is concerned, Meowth in the same episode was shown learning pronunciation, not the language itself, what implies that all Pokémon have innate knowledge of human language, so they can understand human speech, and only have to learn how to pronounce its sounds, or be able to establish telepathic contacts to speak. Despite this, Misty in Whichever Way the Wind Blows once asked Meowth to translate her words to other Pokémon, and May taught her Bulbasaur the meaning of the word town in Grass Hysteria!. Therefore, this ability of Pokémon is not well-defined in anime canon.

Talking Pokémon

While every Pokémon in the anime can understand human speech, very few can talk, although many Legendary and Mythical Pokémon can. In most cases though, talking Pokémon speak through telepathy.

Meowth is the most famous talking Pokémon, and the one that makes the most appearances. His clone in Mewtwo Strikes Back and Mewtwo Returns, however, cannot speak, the reason being Meowth wasn't born knowing how to speak human language: he only learned it through hard work.

Although Ash's Pikachu does not speak in the regular anime, he has talked once in I Choose You!, when Ash seemed to die from taking the attack from various Pokémon late in the movie.

Pokémon		Method of communication	Featured episode
	Meowth	Human speech	Most episodes
	Ash and Team Rocket's Pokémon	Subtitles (the lines were read by the narrator in the Danish, French, Polish and Swedish dubs)	Island of the Giant Pokémon
	Tentacruel	Spoke through mind-controlled Meowth	Tentacool & Tentacruel
	Gastly	Human speech	The Ghost of Maiden's Peak
	Santa Claus's Lapras	Telepathy	Holiday Hi-Jynx
	Mewtwo	Telepathy	Mewtwo Strikes Back Mewtwo Returns
	Gastly Haunter	Spoke through mind-controlled Meowth	A Shipful of Shivers
	Lugia	Telepathy	The Power of One
	Slowking	Human speech	The Power of One
	Entei*	Human speech (the English dub added an echo filter to imply that Entei's capacity for speech was actually telepathy, while the Japanese version had it speaking normally)	Spell of the Unown: Entei
	Ninetales	Spoke through an illusionary girl named Lokoko	Just Waiting On a Friend
	Larvitar	Human speech (while in the Unown Dimension)	Address Unown
	Max's Ralts	Telepathy	Do I Hear a Ralts?
	Deoxys	Spoke through mind-controlled Meowth	Pokémon Ranger - Deoxys' Crisis! Part 1 and Part 2
	Jirachi	Telepathy	Jirachi: Wish Maker
	Lucario	Telepathy	Lucario and the Mystery of Mew
	Manaphy	Able to say a few words such as "happy" and "I love you"	Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea
	Chatot	Repeats human language	Several episodes
	Darkrai	Human speech	The Rise of Darkrai
	Shaymin	Telepathy	Giratina and the Sky Warrior
	Arceus	Human speech	Arceus and the Jewel of Life
	Zorua	Telepathy	Zoroark: Master of Illusions
	Yamask	Spoke through Cilan while possessing him with its mask	A Night in the Nacrene City Museum!
	Zekrom Reshiram	Telepathy	White—Victini and Zekrom Black—Victini and Reshiram
	Kyurem Swords of Justice including Keldeo	Telepathy	Kyurem VS. The Sword of Justice
	Genesect Army Mewtwo	Telepathy	Genesect and the Legend Awakened
	Zoroark	Spoke by changing its form into a Nurse Joy	The Island of Illusions!
	Beheeyem	Spoke through mind-controlled Meowth	Capacia Island UFO!
	Diancie Carbink servants Xerneas	Telepathy	Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction
	Mirror World counterpart of Meowth	Human speech	The Cave of Mirrors!
	Hoopa	Telepathy, human speech	Hoopa and the Clash of Ages
	Volcanion	Telepathy	Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel
	Diggersby Pangoro Delphox Froakie Chesnaught	Human speech during Pikachu and Meowth's dream created by Darkrai	Dream a Little Dream from Me!
	Zygarde Cores Squishy and Z2	Telepathy	Throughout Pokémon the Series: XYZ
Rotom	Rotom Pokédex	Human speech (through the Pokédex's functions)	Throughout Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon
	Ash's Pikachu	Human speech (by Ash's imagination)	I Choose You!
	Naganadel	Telepathy	The Prism Between Light and Darkness!
	Kartana	Reverse human speech	Living on the Cutting Edge!
Rotom	Ash and Goh's Rotom Phones	Human speech (through the smartphone's functions)	Throughout Pokémon Journeys: The Series

In the manga

In the Magical Pokémon Journey manga

Clefairy and Squirtle can speak human language, although most Pokémon language is translated for the reader's ease (indicated by a different font in the word bubbles). They are easily understood by humans just the same.

In the Pokémon Adventures manga

In ...But Fearow Itself!, when Bill was accidentally fused with a Rattata, he was still able to talk and ask Red to aid him in reversing the transformation.

In Red, Green, Blue and Mewtwo Too, Mewtwo revealed to Red that it had gained the ability to talk via telepathy after leaving Blaine in Heckled by Hitmontop, although it usually only lets its voice be heard by people whom it trusts.

In Gotcha Where I Wantcha, Glalie, it was revealed that Latios and Latias are also able to speak via telepathy.

In The Shadow Triad, the Swords of Justice and Keldeo were revealed to be able to speak telepathically, although it was later revealed that humans can only hear this speech under certain conditions, such as by being at the Abyssal Ruins.

In PS544, Black's Reshiram was shown to be able to speak telepathically while inside the Pokémon Dream World.

In Quilladin Stands, Xerneas was shown to be able to use telepathy to communicate with humans as well.

In The Final Match and a Surprising Finale!, the Rotom that Moon had brought with her to Alola was revealed to have entered her new Pokédex and become the Rotom Pokédex. Through the Pokédex, Rotom had gained the ability to speak human language.

In the Pokémon Gold & Silver: The Golden Boys manga

In The Truth About The Mysterious Whirl Islands!!, Gold and Chris encountered a talking Slowking living at the Whirl Islands.

In the Pokémon Gotta Catch 'Em All manga

Shu can understand his Pokémon's language by using a special headset device called an Income.

In the Pokémon Pocket Monsters manga

All the Pokémon in Pokémon Pocket Monsters can talk, except for Red's Pikachu.

In the Pokémon Zensho manga

In Vermilion City, Satoshi encountered and caught a talking Nidoran♂, who soon turned out to be Bill, who had accidentally gotten himself fused with a Nidoran♂ during an experiment. Afterwards, Satoshi helped Bill to become normal again.

In Saffron City, Sabrina was revealed to own a unique telepathic Lapras that could communicate with humans. After Satoshi had helped her save Lapras from Team Rocket, she entrusted Lapras to him as a sign of gratitude.

Trivia

• The move Mirror Move, named Parrot Mimicry in Japanese, is based on ability of these birds to repeat human speech.