Here’s Why Some Pokémon Can Talk to Humans (& 5 Examples)

As the ‘Pokémon‘ franchise has grown to unimaginable heights over the years, there has been a lot of curiosity about what Pokémon would be like. With the countless designs and special abilities of different Pokémon, I sometimes find myself wondering what it would be like if Pokémon were as commonplace as cats and dogs. While definitely animalistic in nature and intelligence, just how smart are Pokémon? Some of them display incredible wit and intelligence in battle, and a select few Pokémon can even communicate directly with humans through speech. That’s definitely something that animals in our world can’t do. So why can some Pokémon talk to humans?

Why can only some Pokémon speak to humans?

All Pokémon have the capability of learning the human language and communicating with humans. In the Pokémon canon, it’s implied that all Pokémon have an innate knowledge of the human language and can understand humans without having to learn. 

We don’t know how much knowledge of the human language they have, but Pokémon has to at least understand enough to know what attacks you’re commanding them to do. Even so, the intelligence of different Pokémon varies. 

But understanding a language is different than speaking it. Pokémon can be taught the human language through hard work and dedication. This is why only a few Pokémon can talk to humans and not all of them, even though they all understand humans. 

Why Pokémon can speak in the anime

If you’ve watched the anime, you might have noticed that many more Pokémon know how to talk to humans directly. In the games, Pokémon have their own “battle cry”, which is considered a language of its own. 

This can be explained by the fact that the anime was targeted at 6 – 11-year-old children. Time and time again, it’s been shown that movies and TV shows with no dialogue that are aimed at kids are usually too confusing for them. This is why, in the anime, Pokémon can speak. 

Pokémon that can speak

Yes, Pokémon can speak human language. When people think of Pokémon, many immediately think of Meowth. He is fluent in the human language, so there’s no question that there are Pokémon who can speak to humans. 

Some Pokémon also communicate through telepathy, which means they understand the human language well enough to do that. Here are just a few examples of Pokémon that can speak. 

Meowth

Meowth is the most popular talking Pokémon in the franchise. He’s constantly heard talking and bantering with the two other members of Team Rocket Trio, or Jessie and James. 

The story of how Meowth learned to talk is an interesting one. Meowth used to be poor and down on his luck in his youth when he came across a beautiful, rich female Meowth named Meowzie outside of a Pokéball shop. 

At first sight, he instantly fell in love with her but was chased away by the Pokéball shop owner. Then, the owner gifted Meowzie a Pokéball encrusted with diamonds. As she entered her new Pokéball, Meowzie told Meowth that he could never measure up to this human, who could give her riches, diamonds, and everything she wanted. 

Meowth took this to mean that if he were to become more human, he would win Meowzie’s heart. He learned how to walk by watching people dance in a dance class. 

He then learned the alphabet and slowly learned new human words. The first word Meowth ever learned how to say was “rocket.” After some time, he became fluent in the human language. 

Meowth decided to visit Meowzie again and show off his new skills. He walked to her place on two legs, got her flowers, and showed her his language skills. 

However, Meowzie wasn’t impressed and told Meowth that he was still dirt poor, so she wasn’t interested. Now that Meowth had human qualities, Meowzie even called him a “freak.” 

She didn’t like the Pokéball shop owner because he was human, but because she was rich. Now realizing this, Meowth found Team Rocket and joined them to become rich and influential. 

This shows that Pokémon can talk to each other just fine and learn how to talk to humans, too. Learning how to speak in the human language for Pokémon is probably on the same level of difficulty as us humans learning a new language. It’s doable, but it takes a lot of time, hard work, dedication, and immersion in that language. 

Mewtwo

The story of Mewtwo is a tragic one. Having been created by genetically altering his DNA while he was still an embryo in a Mew’s womb, Mewtwo had a difficult time entering the world. He was constantly trying to prove his right to exist by beating progressively stronger and stronger Pokémon. 

When he encounters Ash and his friends, Mewtwo finally realizes that where he came from or why he exists doesn’t matter. Whether he is a clone or the original, everyone’s life is valuable. The story is one about accepting our imperfections and not fighting against them. 

You can hear Mewtwo communicate these thoughts telepathically. His mouth doesn’t move, but his ideals are communicated in human language. 

Gastly

Gastly is a Pokémon with the ability to possess people. When it does this, it can communicate through humans in human language. The possessed individuals usually act a bit weird, but they’re still capable of communication. 

Arceus

Seeing as Arceus created the entire world of Pokémon, he is seen as a God. It’s no surprise that the God who created the universe can speak the human language. 

He’s seen speaking the human language in ‘Pokémon Legends: Arceus.’ In Platinum, a mysterious voice talks to Darkrai directly. Many fans believe this is Arceus communicating with him through telepathy. 

Jirachi

This Psychic Pokémon is known to be able to communicate with humans. Jirachi grants many wishes to humans for one week every 1000 years, so it must understand the human language and communicate with humans. However, Jirachi doesn’t speak. Rather, it can communicate telepathically, like Mewtwo. 

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