Nintendois a massive video game company that pretty much everyone knows. Whether you are an avid gamer or not, chances are, you’ve heard of iconic franchises like Mario, The Legend of Zelda, and Pokemon. We have all said the word Nintendo out loud, but what exactly does this mean?

Here, we are going to dive into the origin of the word Nintendo. This will cover the roots of the company in the 1800s, including what the name could mean. It’s important to note that the meaning of the name Nintendo has never been confirmed, so this is all speculation.

The Founding Of Nintendo

Although we think of video games when Nintendo is mentioned, the company has roots in 1889 with the production of karuta, which are Japanese playing cards. There are many types of karuta, but Nintendo became known for hanafuda, which means flower cards.

In 1889, the company was given the name Nintendo Koppai by its founder, Fusajiro Yamauchi. During this time, gambling laws had been recently relaxing, making karuta more common. Yamauchi himself was a fan of hanafuda, so he opened a business selling these cards.

What Does Nintendo Mean?

Nintendo is thought to mean “leave luck to heaven” or “leave fate to heaven”, but this has never been validated. The name could be plausible, as it may relate to gambling. When gambling, you should rely on your own skill, rather than relying on luck or fate.

In Japanese, Nintendo is written as “任天堂”. Below, you can check out what each part of the word means.

任

天

堂

Temple/Hall

So, what does this mean? Interestingly, nobody knows what Nintendo truly means except for Yamauchi himself. Even family members, such as his grandson Hiroshi Yamauchi, don’t know; although Hiroshi speculates that it probably means “leave luck to heaven”.