NOKOCCHI
ノコッチ
Pokemon name meaning:
槌の子 tsuchinoko – mythical snake-like being
Notes:
An unusual Pokemon name. Unlike the usual portmanteau of part-words this is a jumble of most of the syllables of tsuchi no ko – literally “hammer’s child” the name of a mythical snake-like creature. In fact it could be seen as a complete “anagram”, since small tsu often replaces full tsu in joined words. So, for example, 失敗 is pronounced シッパイ shippai, its component words being 失 shitsu and 敗 hai. In the same way ノコッチ Nokocchi could be seen as an amalgam of ノコツ nokotsu and チ chi, giving the four kana of ツチノコ tsuchinoko.
Tsuchinoko are described as being similar in appearance to a snake, but with a central girth that is much wider than its head or tail. Nokocchi has a wide central girth but an even larger head. Tsuchinoko are said to be able to jump several feet. The small wings of Nokocchi, capable of very limited flight, are probably a reflection of this.
Nokocchi’s official species description is “地ヘビ tsuchi hebi (earth snake) Pokemon”. The tsuchi in tsuchi hebi means “earth”, whereas the tsuchi in tsuchi no ko means a hammer or mallet, but the word-play reference is certainly intentional.
Japanese Pokemon 