Unown are some of the strangest Pokémon in the franchise—and that’s saying something.
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These odd little sentient symbols, which imitate the entire English alphabet plus a question mark and exclamation point, are frequently found in ruins and ancient areas in the Pokémon world. Thanks to their semi-mythical status and fairly, well, unknown powers, Unown are very much an enigma.
Unown aren’t generally known for their power in battle. None of them can evolve, their stats are bad, and they can only ever know one move: Hidden Power. So what’s so special about these Pokémon? Their importance lies not in the Pokémon themselves, but in their depiction: They often appear as coded messages on ruin walls and hidden areas of the Pokémon world. Reading them can expose hints, clues, and cryptic messages to careful players.
If you’re struggling to make out what letter each Unown represents, here’s a translation guide for each form.
Unown translation guide
A
Image via Nintendo/The Pokemon Company
B
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C
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D
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E
Image via Nintendo/The Pokemon Company
F
Image via Nintendo/The Pokemon Company
G
Image via Nintendo/The Pokemon Company
H
Image via Nintendo/The Pokemon Company
I
Image via Nintendo/The Pokemon Company
J
Image via Nintendo/The Pokemon Company
K
Image via Nintendo/The Pokemon Company
L
Image via Nintendo/The Pokemon Company
M
Image via Nintendo/The Pokemon Company
N
Image via Nintendo/The Pokemon Company
O
Image via Nintendo/The Pokemon Company
P
Image via Nintendo/The Pokemon Company
Q
Image via Nintendo/The Pokemon Company
R
Image via Nintendo/The Pokemon Company
S
Image via Nintendo/The Pokemon Company
T
Image via Nintendo/The Pokemon Company
U
Image via Nintendo/The Pokemon Company
V
Image via Nintendo/The Pokemon Company
W
Image via Nintendo/The Pokemon Company
X
Image via Nintendo/The Pokemon Company
Y
Image via Nintendo/The Pokemon Company
Z
Image via Nintendo/The Pokemon Company
!
Image via Nintendo/The Pokemon Company
?
Image via Nintendo/The Pokemon Company
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Emily is a staff writer covering Apex Legends, Overwatch, Pokemon, and general gaming for Dot Esports. Her other bylines include Digital Trends, Screen Rant, and GameSpew. She also works as a narrative designer in games. Get in touch with her on Twitter @thepokeflute.
