Satoshi, Manshaus said, means “Ash” in Japanese – and Wright chose it because he wanted Bitcoin to take down the legacy financial system, and “rise like a phoenix from its ashes.” It had the added benefit, according to Manshaus, of being the Japanese-language name of Pokemon character Ash Ketchum. (Note: CoinDesk attempted to verify this claim, and found that Satoshi has several meanings, depending on the kanji used, none of which translate to “Ash.” Furthermore, the Japanese name for Ash Ketchum is based on Pokemon creator Satoshi Taijiri’s name, according to gaming website CBR. The spelling Taijiri uses for “Satoshi” translates to “knowledge” or “wisdom.”)
