Nintendo (English)
Where does "Nintendo" come from?
The name Nintendo is borrowed directly from the Japanese term 'Nintendō', which serves as the brand's name. In Japanese, the term is written using kanji characters that traditionally translate to 'leave luck to heaven' or 'heaven blesses labor,' reflecting the company's long history before it became the global video game giant we know today.
Full etymology tree
- Nintendo (English), 'A Japanese multinational company that develops, publishes and releases both video games and video game consoles.'
- borrowed 任天堂 (Nintendō) (Japanese), 'Nintendo (video game company)'
- derived 運を天に任せる (un o ten ni makaseru) (Japanese)
- borrowed 任天堂 (Nintendō) (Japanese), 'Nintendo (video game company)'
Updated June 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris