Language in the Splatoon series

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Conjecture
This article or section involves something that has not been specifically named.
The name(s) presented could be conjectural.
Reason: Script names (except for the Alterna script), as well as the term "script" itself, are conjectural

Various languages are present in the Splatoon series; the language spoken by Inklings is sometimes referred to as Inkling,[1] the Inkling language,[2] or squid language.[3]

While individual letters, words, and the occasional phrase are often similar to real-life languages, Inkling as a whole has been confirmed to not be very thought through, and thus inconsistent.[4]

Spoken language

The spoken language used in Splatoon is represented through clips of one or more syllables played in random order during dialog. Certain voice lines, intentionally or not, vaguely resemble words in real-life spoken languages. The catchphrases of the Squid Sisters, Off the Hook, and Deep Cut use specific voice clips that resemble Japanese, with the Squid Sisters and Deep Cut sounding like they are saying their Japanese names while Off the Hook sound like they are saying the Japanese version of the catchphrase itself.

Song lyrics, regardless of the species they are sung by, consist of gibberish lines. Official lyrics for songs by the Squid Sisters, Off the Hook, and Deep Cut have been distributed with merchandise, such as albums and piano sheet music. An in-universe interview with Wet Floor also disclosed a couple of lines for the song Inkoming! that incorporate sounds resembling English words. The lyrics for Ebb & Flow (Octo) incorporate the word "splatoon", albeit slightly deviated from how it is normally spelled in katakana.

Audio

Press the speaker icon or descriptive text to start or pause the audio.

Written language

The written form of Inkling is represented through numerous scripts, ranging from unique glyphs to ones resembling human scripts like Japanese, Arabic, and Cyrillic.

Scripts

A "script", in the sense used when documenting how the written form of Inkling is represented, is a consistent set of characters that is used in a sufficient number of places throughout the game. Characters that are not used recurrently are not considered a script. As an example, the letters of many company logos appear to be unique to the logo design and do not show up anywhere else.

When characters do appear consistently enough to be considered a script, many such scripts are decipherable. Scripts that are decipherable have each fictitious letter correspond to the letters of the Latin alphabet.

Example of a script being used to mimic a word

Another way the scripts are used is to mimic real writing, where the characters are picked based on how closely they resemble Latin letters or occasionally Japanese script to make a word or phrase. An example would be the album artwork for Turquoise October from Splatoon, where the square script at the bottom is used to mimic the band's name, even though this is not the actual meaning of the letters based on the deciphered version of the script. With few exceptions, any situation in which fictitious letters seem to resemble an English word most likely do not reflect the true meaning of the script, and should not be used as a basis for deciphering it.

There are also cases in which scripts are used in a scrambled manner, not representing real words at all. In these situations, the characters are used to display gibberish text, and may be rotated, flipped, or slightly altered. In text where characters are rotated, flipped, or altered in ways that should not exist based on the cipher, the text can be considered meaningless.

Glyphs that resemble characters from other human languages, such as Chinese and Arabic, are not known to have a proper decipherable form.

Focusing on the usage of the deciphered versions of the scripts, there are also different languages in which the scripts may be written. While most of the time they are used to write English, there are also frequent occurrences of the scripts being used to write romanized Japanese.

Readable texts from known scripts

Bold script

ScriptBoldTrue.png

This script resembles the typeface primarily used in Splatoon for dialogue. It appears in all three games and is widely used on clothes and weapons. The bold script is most commonly used to mimic words or to write gibberish, which is why it was assumed to be indecipherable for many years. Examples of this script can be seen on the Splatfest Tee, where it is always used to mimic the text for the Splatfest team's name. This script is unique for having both an uppercase and lowercase form.

Deciphered

Image Meaning Additional Information
Bomb Rush Blush logo.png TOKI MEKI BOMB☆RUSH The logo seen on the Squid Sisters' trucks when Callie performs Bomb Rush Blush. Refers to the Japanese name of the song, トキメキ☆ボムラッシュ Tokimeki☆Bomu Rasshu.
Now or Never Squid Sisters Logo.png IM NURANEB, Aori Hotaru The logo seen on the Squid Sisters' trucks when they perform Now or Never!. Misspells the Japanese name of the song, イマ・ヌラネバー! Ima Nuranebā!. "Aori" is Callie's Japanese name while "Hotaru" is Marie's Japanese name.
S2 Sunken Scroll 4.png the FOOD TRUCK handbook From Sunken Scroll 4 in Splatoon 2. The remaining bold script as well as the serif and halfmoon script writings on here are gibberish.
S2 Sunken Scroll 10.png Open! Wakamono no tyushin Haikara Square no Iccacha ga grand open! This is romanized Japanese, and it translates to English as "The Shoal's having a grand opening at the heart of youth culture, Inkopolis Square!" From Sunken Scroll 10 in Splatoon 2.
S2 Sunken Scroll 21.png newsardh ineirpori Aori kita, Shinsouya IKAnisite!?, _aininki kyuugyounouwa_an! Top right caption has misspellings, but means "Callie came to New Sardine Airport".
Splatnet 2 Gear Shop Logo.png ANEMO Produce, tyotto mezurashi Gear Shop The logo for the SplatNet gear shop run by Annie. "Anemo" is Annie's name in the Japanese version of Splatoon. "Tyotto mezurashi" means "a little rare."
S2 Sunken Scroll 9.png WONDER, Noback to Enamel no Kiseki no Colaboration! Gomusozai ga Ashi no kou wo Kasashiku hold Zenpo Sole to Koho Sole wo Ogoto ni Kakoi ga Hashiwatashi In the pink speech bubble on the top right. From Sunken Scroll 9 found in Octo Canyon.
Scorch Gorge Gas Sign.png GAS, OPEN A sign present in Scorch Gorge.
Jelfonzo concept art.jpg YOU SUCK Shown in concept art for Jelfonzo in The Art of Splatoon 2, on the green and pink shirt on the right of the image.
Jelfonzo shirt concept art.jpg Hime, tentacles Shown in concept art for Jelfonzo in The Art of Splatoon 2, on the bonus "Comic-style" shirts. "Hime" is Pearl's name in Japan, "tentacles" is the name of Off the Hook in Japan.
Sheldon concept art S2.png SQUID, SNIPER From concept art for Sheldon in The Art of Splatoon 2. The "Squid" text is on a badge for being fluent in the Inkling language. The "Sniper" text is on a badge from a secret shooting event.
Squid Sisters autograph.png iwilldomybest ikayoroshiku, saitamasuprarena letsgo The Squid Sisters' autographs from Shiokalive at Cho Party 2016, pulled from The Art of Splatoon 2. Ika, yoroshiku is the Squid Sisters' catchphrase in Japanese. Saitama Super Arena is the venue that hosted Niconico Cho Party.
Cuttlefish Idol.jpg pop pop pop, hakkisyon!, Bye bye Text on the unnamed idol duo's album, possibly their songs.
Sheet Record Haikara Walker.png DINAMIC RECORD INCE, mukashikan, shinkai daisuki band The text on the top right record is likely a misspelling of "DYNAMIC RECORD INC." The bottom left design's text, "mukashikan", means "long-ago time period." The bottom right design's text, "shinkai daisuki band," translates as something to the effect of "band that loves the deep sea." From designs on the sheet records floating in the background of Cratebuster Station and Matchmaker Station in the Octo Expansion, specifically the bottom left design. Image pulled from HaikaraWalker.
Eel-Cake Hat front.png RFDAY Likely derived from a mispelling of "birthday" as "birfday." The first word on the Eel-Cake Hat mimics the "happy" in "happy birthday."
Off the Hook Callie's Missing.jpg AORI SHISSOU, KANOJO NO YUKUEHA Aori is Callie's Japanese name. "AORI SHISSOU" means "Callie is missing," and "KANOJO NO YUKUEHA" means "what will become of her?"
S2 Callie found news.png OKAORI AORI The image that appears on the screen when Pearl and Marina announce that Callie has been found. Aori is Callie's Japanese name.
S2 fresh fruit sign.png fresh fruit Sign seen in MakoMart on top of a fruit stall. The characters are upside down.
Octo Canyon Decorated Crate Texture.png OK, waterproof Stickers seen on the decorated crates in Octo Canyon.
S3 Sunken Scroll 16.png yashigani Seen on the top left corner of Sunken scroll 16 in Splatoon 3. yashigani is romanized Japanese, meaning "coconut crab".
S3 Sunken Scroll 5.png (bottom left of right page) omae nande konn na todf roni, (left page bottom 2 panels) tak..., tak ga Seen in Sunken Scroll 5, the first sentence is romanized Japanese, loosely translating to "Why are you in the middle of nowhere!?", with a typo which should say "todironi". The other page also has a typo of "tako", which when translated, says "Octopus..." and "The octopus".
S3 Decoration blue candy-drop can.png ikas candy drop CANDY DROP Text seen on the orange candy-drop can and blue candy-drop can locker decorations.
Apple boxes hagglefish.png APPLE Boxes seen in Hagglefish Market.
CRAB boxes Hagglefish S3.jpg CRAB Boxes seen in Hagglefish Market.
Danger tape scorch gorge.png DANGER On tape in Scorch Gorge.
S3 Scorch Gorge CAUTION.jpg CAUTION A section of tape found on the edges of Scorch Gorge.
S3 Scorch Gorge DO NOT CROSS.jpg DO NOT CROSS A section of tape found on the edges of Scorch Gorge.
Trash bins s3 square.png glss metl Papr On trash bins seen in Splatsville. Likely distortions of "glass", "metal", and "paper", respectively.
S3 Band Damp Socks feat. Off the Hook.png each. In the middle of the album artwork of Damp Socks feat. Off the Hook.
MakoMart aisle fins.png Daily Goods

Drink Food

Text found on the aisle fins in the background of MakoMart.
S3 Inkopolis cafe menu.jpg dorippo cff / cohi furape

cafe mest / d-a-pi hue

ameria-na / kyara huh

yuzu tea / kurimi hura

shai tea / uosaka hura

The menu found in the Inkopolis Plaza Inkopolis Café store in Splatoon 3. The words appear to be shortened and/or misspelled names of drinks, mostly in romanized Japanese. "-" represents indiscernible characters.
Lobby floor map sign S3.png floor map

yuto / cado, dabboos, kattya

mein / kaiten, dslokky, sisay, zatya

grde / robbe, kyukei

natnta tiime

Sign seen outside the Lobby in Splatsville in Splatoon 3. text is primarily in garbled romanized Japanese.
S3 Museum d'Alfonsino old squid banner.png OLD SQUID Found by the spawn points of Museum d'Alfonsino.
S3 Eeltail Alley VICTORY.jpg VICTORY Found in Eeltail Alley.
S3 Splatsville ais kacang stand.jpg Ice kacang An ais kacang stand that appears in Splatsville during Splatfests.
S3 Cooler Heads travel book.jpg SIN RYOKOUN Found in Cooler Heads, with the deciphered text being found on the spine. "SIN RYOKOU" seems to be a romanization of "新 旅行", meaning "new trip".
S3 Cooler Heads volcano book.jpg KAZANNOHON

HUNKANIKANSURUHON

Text at the bottom of the book."KAZANNOHON" means "book of volcanoes" and "HUNKANIKANSURUHON" means "book relating to eruptions"
S3 Splatsville truck SQUID.jpg SQUID A design found on some of the trucks in Splatsville.
S3 Mahi-Mahi Resort jellyfish birthday.jpg BIRTHD- Decorative balloons found under the gazebo in Mahi-Mahi Resort, with dashes representing unknown characters. "BIRTHD" seems to be derived from "Birthday".

Mimicked words

Image Meaning Additional Information
S Splatfest Tee Water Slides front.jpg Splatfest Team Cat Shirt Text.jpg Splatfest Team Dog Shirt Text.jpg WATER SLIDE, CAT, DOG Nearly all Splatfest Tees have readable words. A few examples are listed here. For more images of Splatfest Tees, see Splatfest team tees from Splatoon and Splatfest team tees from Splatoon 2.
Tower Records 1.png TOWER RECORDS HICOLOR Billboard present in Inkopolis Square. This is a reference to wp:Tower Records in real life.
Record shop look ep back.png TOWER RECORDS Back side of the Record Shop Look EP gear. The text is the same as the billboard in Inkopolis Square.
MakoMart Ad (Bold).jpg 60% OFF A MakoMart ad shown on a screen in Inkopolis Square.
S Sunken Scroll cover.png COQUIS A parody of Croquis brand sketchbooks. From the cover of the Sunken Scroll scrapbook in Splatoon.
Eel-Cake Hat front.png HPPY The first word on the Eel-Cake Hat mimics the "happy" in "happy birthday" the second word doesn't as clearly mimic the word "BIRTHDAY", and instead translates to "RFDAY"
S2 Inkblot Art Academy Nudibranch Poster.jpg Do Not Feed Poster present in Inkblot Art Academy.
Bomb Rush Blush Splat Bomb.jpgBomb Rush Blush Suction Bomb.jpg AORI Mimicry of Callie's Japanese name, Aori. Seen on the bombs tossed in Bomb Rush Blush.

Square script

Square script cipher.png

Appearing throughout the Splatoon series, this script is widely used for various applications, such as on weapons, clothes, Sunken Scrolls, and buildings, and it is often used for large bodies of text such as in the descriptions of Museum d'Alfonsino and Shellendorf Institute. There are numerous additional symbols associated with the square script that do not appear in its deciphered form. The Sunken Scrolls reveal it is also the text used in Inkling social media, and it is also used in Octarian weapon blueprints. It is also present throughout the Deepsea Metro. Several letters in this alphabet map to the same symbols: L and V, G and W, D and X, F and Y, and H and Z.

Deciphered

Image Meaning Additional Information
Shiokaraibu 2 promo art.jpg www.seaocolors.com Located at the bottom of the poster. The remaining square script text is gibberish.
Shiokalive shirt Chokaigi 2016 version.jpg NICOCHOKAIGINICO Merchandise for Shiokalive at Chokaigi 2016.
SHIOKARAZ AORI TO HOTARU

NY SHIHO FUJI

On the bottom left of the Squid Sisters' Splatoon 2 album art. Shiokaraz is a romanization of their Japanese name. Aori to Hotaru translates to "Callie and Marie" (Aori and Hotaru are their Japanese names, respectively). Shiho Fuji is in reference to Shiho Fujii, the composer behind the songs of the Squid Sisters.
S2 Off the Hook album crop.png

LOREM ADIPISCING DOLOR. AENEAN OQUE PENATIBUS IENT MONTES

MASSA CUM SOCIIS NAT ET MAGNIS DIS PATUR NASCETUR OLOR SIT AMET CONSECTETUER ELIT. AENEAN COMMODO LIGULA EGET

Text at the bottom left of Off the Hook's album cover in Splatoon 2, which is derived from from Lorem ipsum, though out of order.
S2 Sunken Scroll 24.png Sunken scroll 24 deciphered.jpg Sunken scroll 24 deciphered 2.png See images for meaning. The entirety of Sunken Scroll 24 is in odd, but readable, English. See images for more details.
RENRAKU Near the bottom-left on the left poster. Renraku is Japanese for "contact", though it is unknown what this may have to do with the image.
S2 Sunken Scroll 7.png FLIGHT IKA AIRLINES, PASSENGER MIURA, SEAT, DEPARTURE "Miura" is Flow's name in Japanese. From Sunken Scroll 7 in Splatoon 2.
S2 Sunken Scroll 12.png #morning coffe #bed #lazy ledgs #capuccino, #avocado toast #fresh #california #ika moyou #eff, #travel #love #foever #sunlight #girl friend Hashtags are listed from left to right, misspellings are left as is. The tag ika moyou means "squid design", referring to the squid-shaped egg yolk. From Sunken Scroll 12 in Splatoon 2.
S2 Title Screen Squid Beatz 2.png HOGEGAMES "HOGE" is a word used as a placeholder in computer programming, like "foobar."
S2 Splatfest Poster Team Octopus.png TAKOOCTORING From a promotional poster for Squid vs. Octopus (2018), appearing in the side and at the first word at the bottom of the image. Appears to be a combination of "Tako", the Japanese word for "octopus", and "Octoling". The rest of the square script at the bottom appears to be gibberish.
GATI poster inkopolis square.png BATTLE OF CHAMPIONS, GATI, AKATEAM VS MIDORI, SATURDAY FEBURARY 15 7PM A poster found in Inkopolis Square. "GATI" seems to be an odd romanization of gachi, referring to the Japanese name for Ranked Battle, ガチマッチ Gachi Matchi. Aka means "red" and midori means green. "February" is misspelled on the poster. The remaining text is gibberish.
Horticultural Medicine.png POWERFUL BODY! From HaikaraWalker (page 227). Description of a horticultural medicine seen attached to tree trunks in the Octo Expansion.
Goldie concept art.jpg KINIKURA NO SHAKE SUGOI METYA KINPIKA Translates from Japanese into English as "Golden Egg Salmonid, incredibly golden and shiny." Goldie concept art from The Art of Splatoon 2.
CAL LIE, DJ OCTAVIO, SAMURAI "Callie" is written on the Octo Samurai's jacket front, "DJ Octavio" on the back and "Samurai" on his Octocycle. In The Art of Splatoon 2, it was mentioned he is a big fan of Callie.
S2 Spawn Point Model.png RESPAWN Branding on Splatoon 2's spawn point.
S3 Splatsville street sign.jpg BANKARA STREET SD The green street name sign alludes to Splatsville's name in Japanese ("Bankara"').
Ink Me Up Logo.png KIMI IRO NI SOMETE The Japanese name of the song Ink Me Up.
S2 Mothership Model.png SALMONBIA Text found on the side of the Mothership, possibly related to the Salmonid army as a whole. This same text is written on the frying pans held by Lesser Salmonids and the Steelhead's bomb.
Off the Hook intro.png HIGHCOLORTV The small text on the top left corner of the in-game screen. Highcolor City is the Japanese name of Inkopolis. This same text is also present in the bottom left corner of Off the Hook's television during their broadcast, albeit only when there are no other images being shown on the screen.
Orange poster inkopolis square texture.png NO

GONIN NO IKA GA ORINASU COOL NA MO, SORE HA ARU-AA-I NATU NO HIN JUINO DAKIN-OTO DATTA. DAI

GAKUSEI NI NATTA IKATARO

U JUA SA R-UR- NO SASSHUKU NI.

SANKA SHITEITA --KODE AR

U JUITORINO OB NO O-KKOGA

SAKANA WO TOTTA SONO SA

A poster found in Inkopolis Square, near Crusty Sean's truck. Dashes are use in place of unreadable symbols. The first sentence translates as something to the effect of "The 5 Inklings are woven with coolness." Readable words after that translate to "that" "summer day" "was" "university student" "participated," and the final line reads "took the fish."
Zujitsubo Inkopolis Square Inkling Poster.jpg SPORTS CENTER AT HUJITSUBO A poster advertising a sports center. "Hujitsubo" is an alternate romanization of fujitsubo, a part of フジツボスポーツクラブ Fujitsubo Supōtsu Kurabu, the Japanese name for Musselforge Fitness.
Goby Arena (Final).jpg BASKET

BALL LEAGUE DA

Advertisement shown on the hanging screen in Goby Arena. The bottom text is difficult to see in the screenshot, but is more clearly visible on the texture.
S2 Inkopolis Square Nudibranch Poster.jpg ROWLY!!! A missing pet poster depicting a nudibranch found in Inkopolis Square.
IHOPE YOU S2 OE central station cropped.png IHOPE YOU Found on an electrical box in the back of Central Station.
Off the Hook Callie's Missing.jpg AORI KIKAN YOKATTA Aori is Callie's Japanese name. Translates to "Good to have Callie back."
S2 Rewards towel.jpg SOSHINA TOWEL A towel that was available as a My Nintendo Reward. Soshina means "small gift."
FrontRoeBandArt.jpg PIONEER GOOD On the small black logo on the bottom right of Front Roe's album art.
S2 Battle Lobby Communication Error.jpg
S2 5.3.1 ranked battle lobby screen.png
SOMETHING TEXT
SPLATOON
On the bottom left of the communication error pop-up and the bottom right of the map rotation, both times next to a barcode. It can also be seen when waiting for a spot to open up when joining a friend, as it uses the same image as the communication error.
Marina drawing of octoling boy afro.png OCTAVIO Below the screen on Marina's laptop. Likely related to DJ Octavio.
Inkopolis Square graffiti 03 Musselforge advertisement.png FUJITUBO.CO Below the logo. "Fujitubo" comes from of fujitsubo, a part of フジツボスポーツクラブ Fujitsubo Supōtsu Kurabu, the Japanese name for Musselforge Fitness. The bottom square script text is gibberish.
Art of Splatoon Graffiti 012 stylized squid advertisement.png ABCDEF.LKJ The "LKJ" are upside down.
Octo Expansion NAMACO Terminal and Card promo.jpg JAMSTEC Text found on the CQ-80 terminal. The CQ-80 is designed after the Shinkai 2000, a JAMSTEC research vessel.
Octo Expansion - Agent 8.png INGREDIENT Backwards text found on the band on Agent 8's ankle in the Octo Expansion.
S3 Decoration fantasy novel.png GESOO IKAS Text on the cover of the fantasy novel locker decoration. "geso" means "tentacle", and "ika" means "squid".
Hagglefish card.png CARD Sign in Hagglefish Market. It is on a distant building, which makes it very difficult to see. It can be seen much more easily in the wallpaper from Wandercrust.
S3 Splatana Stamper Promotional 3D Render.jpg ...JKLMOPQ... The letters on the Splatana Stamper are in alphabetical order. In other images of the Splatana Stamper, it can be seen that the letters start from 'A'.
MITTU KATUOB BUSI Lettering seen on one side of the Snipewriter 5H. A slight misspelling of mittsu katsuobushi, meaning "3 bonito flakes".
Grizzco fish scale item shop.jpg gdahul psuhi UMAI SALMON saykaiu VICTORY MINA TOBE HIGH gblkjp Sign above the Grizzco Industries rewards counter in Splatoon 3. The actual words mixed in with gibberish translated to "delicious salmon victory everyone fly high"
Salmonrunlobbyelevatorsign.png KONDO blmn MISOSIRU TABETAIvw Sign by the elevator in the Grizzco Industries building in Splatoon 3. The actual words mixed in with gibberish translated to "this time I want to eat miso soup"
Fire extinguisher lobby s3.png FIRE EXCHANGE Sign seen above a fire extinguisher in the lobby in Splatoon 3.
Apple boxes hagglefish.png ma hing an nie FOOD Signage seen around Hagglefish Market.
Arribabox.png ARRIBA! Text on the logo of chili pepper boxes seen in Splatsville.
BrinewaterCautionSign.jpg SLIPPY HAZARD CAUTION Text on a sign in Brinewater Springs.
Range Blaster FIRE! BLUEBERRY.png FIRE! BLUEBERRY Text found on the large "can" on the back of the Range Blaster in Splatoon 3. The bold script in the middle is gibberish.
Flounder Heights Laundromat Sign Top.png 24 H EIGYOU
NANIKA TORA BURU WA
Text found on the sign above the laundromat in Flounder Heights. 

"24 H EIGYOU" in Japanese means something to the effect of "(open for) Business 24 hours." The "NANIKA TORA BURU WA" next to the phone number would be "何かトラブルは" in Japanese. It translates to "If there is trouble," implying the phone number shown is the help line for the business.

Bankalive penlight packaging.png TOEN.S.C IN TOKYO BIG SIGHT Merchandise for the Deep Cut Concert at Nintendo Live 2022.
Alterna Site 2 QR code sticker.png BOUIN BOSFO JA HIKAE Text on a sticker found on the orange boxes in Cozy & Safe Factory. This seems to be gibberish.
S3 recon information sign.png INFOME SYONN

BANKRA GAITO

SOR TEGO EG

Text found on the signs by the Recon Guide. "INFOME SYONN" seems to be a way of writing "Information". "BANKRA GAITO" seems to reference the Japanese name for Splatsville "バンカラ街", or "Bankara-gai" when romanized.
Lobby floor map sign S3.png

cafe / egmtge egtage

dabboos / gmet egemga mge

kattya / etta egme

cafe / rokk / djd

caffe / syouk

kaida / kame

Sign seen outside the Lobby in Splatsville in Splatoon 3. text is primarily in garbled romanized Japanese with some parts that seem to be gibberish.
S3 Crab-N-Go register labels.png SANDO GAKOKO

AGEAGE SANDO

HOT DRING

Text found on the screen at the front of the Crab-N-Go. "AGEAGE SANDO" is a reference to the Japanese name for the Commercial Crab Trap Sandwich, "アゲアゲバサミサンド" or "Ageage basami sando" when romanized.
S3 Crab-N-Go glass label.png GENNZAI ASH ONLY A label on the glass found at the back of the Crab-N-Go. "GENNZAI" is a romanization of "現在" meaning "Present" or "Current" and it can be assumed that "ASH" is a misspelling of "cash". In this context, that would make the phrase "Currently cash only".
S3 Shell-Out Machine text.png MAWASU A label on the Shell-Out Machine."MAWASU" can be translated as "turn" or "rotate".
S3 Brinewater Springs hot surface sign.png HOT SURFACE CAUTION The second line from the top. This can be found in Brinewater Springs near the blowfish fountains above the water.
S3 Brinewater Springs temperature notice.png HOT SURFACE CAUTION

KASENZIKI ITTAI KOUON DESUE. TATIIRI NIAH HYUBU TYUI SITEKUDA. MATA SORE ZORE NO YUONHA MET

SEKINI HA ISSAI OIMASEN.

KUSAYA ONSEN

Found in Brinewater Springs. The text in the middle is romanized Japanese. "Kusaya Onsen" is the name of Brinewater Springs in Japanese.
S3 Humpback Pump Track red banner.png PLEASE RIDE APE DE CIRA PLEASE A red banner found hanging from the ceiling in Humpback Pump Track. This same text can be found on a sign in Wahoo World, possibly explaining the use of "RIDE", as it may be a reference to the fairground rides in the background of that stage.
S3 Humpback Pump Track green banner.png START DEADR EZIEMG GIENAL TRACK A green banner found hanging from the ceiling in Humpback Pump Track. This same text can be found on a sign in Wahoo World, possibly explaining the use of "TRACK", as it may be a reference to the rollercoaster in the background of that stage.
S3 Humpback Pump Track pull label.png PULL Found on the doors to the stores in Humpback Pump Track.
S3 Mincemeat Metalworks waorning sign.png WAORNING


HI BORUTAE

DONT TOUCH THIS

THUDER GON

A sign found in Mincemeat Metalworks, with this text being found at the top and bottom of the sign. "WAORNING" seems to be a misspelling of "Warning".
S3 Mincemeat Metalworks safety first sign.png EIDEI ROUDO IINKAI A sign seen around Mincemeat Metalworks, with this text being found at the bottom of the sign.
S3 Museum d'Alfonsino trib banner.png TRIB

TOGETER

Artwork found by the spawn points of Museum d'Alfonsino. "TRIB" and "TOGETER" seem to be misspellings of "tribe" and "together", respectively.
S3 Inkopolis Plaza access poster.png UPSIDE ESKAREAT A graphic found on the escalator leading to the train station in Inkopolis Plaza, with this text being found at the bottom near the escalator icon. "ESKAREAT" seems to be a misspelling of "esukareta", the Japanese word for "escalator".
S3 Crab-N-Go billboard.png SAIKO HO INGI WAA A billboard advertising the Crab-N-Go, found behind Inkopolis Plaza's train station.
S3 Flounder Heights laundry icons.png SENTAKU EMKE

SENTAKU KANSP

Icons found in the window of Flounder Heights' laundromat. "SENTAKU" is a romanization of "洗濯", meaning "washing" or "laundry".
S3 Brinewater Springs since 4568 sign.png MEIDAI KUSAYA DANWP NIHONITI NO OHAHIDE

METEGT KINSEI

SINCE 4568 NENDE

A sign found in Brinewater Springs. "KUSAYA" is most likely in reference to Brinewater Springs' Japanese name, "Kusaya Onsen".
S3 Sticker L-R sticker.png
PLEES KEEP YOUR DIST On the bottom of a sign found on the Crab-N-Go that appears to be encouraging social distancing. While it exists as part of the model, it is entirely covered up by the counter in-game.

In Drizzle Season 2023, this sign was added as a locker decoration in the form of the L-R sticker, allowing it to be viewed legitimately.

S3 Manta Maria POOP DECK.jpg POOP DECK

NO INK

A sign found on some doors on Manta Maria.
S3 Amiibo box NINTENDO SWITCH.jpg NINTENDO SWITCH

NINTENDO SWITCH LITE

A section of the amiibo boxes found in each of Splatoon 3's hubs.
S3 Umami Ruins CLEANE ROOM.jpg CLEANE ROOM A sign on the doors in the spawns of Um'ami Ruins.
S3 Mahi-Mahi Resort radio sign.jpg IN TAPE ON THE LADIO

PLEAZE WAIT FOR ME

The text at the bottom of a sign in Mahi-Mahi Resort. "LADIO" seems to be a misspelling of "radio", and "PLEAZE" seems to be a misspelling of "please".
S3 Mahi-Mahi Resort MUSIC TELEVISN sign.png MUSIC TELEVISN

ARE YOU READY

Text on a sign in Mahi-Mahi Resort. "TELEVISN" seems to be a misspelling of "Television".
S3 Mahi-Mahi Resort BBQ sign.png BBQ SQUIDS COME Small text near the top right of a sign in Mahi-Mahi Resort.
Mahi-Mahi YunaForSound Advert.png HASSUYTAGU PLAZA DE TUBUYAKO OUBO HATTE RUYO Small text at the bottom of a sign in Mahi-Mahi Resort.
OE turnstyle gate text TICKE.png TICKE Text found on the gates of the Deepsea Metro's station platforms. Seems to be a misspelling of "Ticket".
OE Central Station door text.png BRO PARK Text found on the door facing the lockers in Deepsea Metro Central Station.
OE bounce pad TAKOSPO.png TAKOSPO Found on the bounce pads in the single-player modes of each game. "TAKO" is the Japanese word for "octopus".
OE trash can text LITTER.jpg LITTER Found on a trash can in the Deepsea Metro's Central Station.
S2 Inkopolis Plaza SHOP RISUTO plaque.jpg SHOP RISUTO Text found inside an inaccessible building at the back of Inkopolis Plaza. "RISUTO" is a romanization of "リスト", meaning "list".
S2 Musselforge Fitness FAST MUZU sign.jpg FAST
GNRDMA
AKSL DJYUDN
WOQHYAKS
ZHA DJYUDN
SDNJ RSA
REGEND

MUZU

A chart found in Musselforge Fitness. While most of this text appears to be gibberish, a couple of real words can be picked out. These are as follows: "FAST"; "GNRDMA", which is possibly a corruption of "grandma"; "REGEND", which is likely a misspelling of "legend"; and "MUZU" which is most likely derived from "難しい" or "muzukashī", meaning "difficult".
S2 Musselforge Fitness SYOUKAKI sign.jpg SYOUKAKI The sign above a fire extinguisher in Musselforge Fitness. Seems to be derived from "消火器" or "shōkaki", meaning "fire extinguisher".
S3 Mahi-Mahi Resort schedule.jpg MR.K

SOIT TOITU

KYUJEU / OGARI STA GE

PANICK

D.M.I

C-SID

The timetable for Mahi-Mahi Resort in Splatoon 3. "C-SID" is likely a misspelling of "C-Side".
S3 Brinewater Springs banpi paper.jpg BANPI OF CHI SIRASE A piece of paper pinned to the bulletin board in Brinewater Springs.
S3 Brinewater Springs board map.jpg Top left:
KURAYAMAT KUMWO IINKAI

Top right:

ONSEN NO TIZU

Bottom left:

KOKONO DETA
KONO MEI NOWNA NTE
ONSEN GAIZ HA GTKGIR NAO
KETG MTEGKA KEGTAKAA MA
KUSAYA HIMA
ONSEN GAIZ HA GTKGIR NAO
KETG MTEGKA KEGTAKAA MA
MOU TEG MGAETAT MEGAMTE
A map pinned to the bulletin board in Brinewater Springs, containing a lot of romanized Japanese. "ONSEN NO TIZU" means "map of onsen".
S3 Brinewater Springs himono sign.jpg HIMONO TO ONSEN NO OMOE A sign found in Brinewater Springs.
S3 Brinewater Springs vending machine child.jpg ZIDOU HANBAIKI

NISIN

A sign found on the vending machines in the background of Brinewater Springs. "ZIDOU HANBAIKI" is a romanization of "自動 販売機", meaning "vending machine". "ZIDOU" is also a homonym that can mean "children", possibly explaining the child depicted next to the text. "NISIN" is a romanization of "鰊", meaning "Pacific Herring".
S3 Brinewater Springs vending machine lobby.jpg BANKARAGAI SUGI SOKODE A sign found on the vending machines in the background of Brinewater Springs. "BANKARAGAI" is the Japanese name for Splatsville.
S3 Splatsville squid detective sign.jpg NI YOHIKAN ITUDEMO UKETUKETE

IMAGE VH

A sign found above Grizzco in Splatsville.
S3 Splatsville sign trash.jpg GOMI GO DASUHI MA A sign found in Flounder Heights. "GOMI" is the Japanese word for trash.
S3 Umami Ruins shift timetable.jpg SANKAKUSU SIHUTOHYOU A timetable found in the Crab-N-Go and in Umami Ruins. Translates to "Crab-N-Go shift table", though it's possible that "SANKAKUSU" (the Japanese name of the Crab-N-Go) is a misspelling of "SANKAKUSUI", meaning "pyramid".
S3 Umami Ruins no13 label.jpg DEKKAI HITUDE NANNDESUYO A label stuck on the glass that covering some of hieroglyphs in Umami Ruins.
S3 Mahi-Mahi Resort slide text ORCA.jpg ORCA A segment of one of the floating slides in Mahi-Mahi Resort.
S3 Mahi-Mahi Resort slide text EASY NL.jpg EASY NL Text found on the floating slides in Mahi-Mahi Resort.
S3 Hotlantis glasses sign.jpg HEART POP A sign for the heart-shaped glasses on display in Hotlantis.
S3 Tableturf Battle table screen.png INSERT COIN The image displayed on the screens of the Tableturf tables in the lobby and the Shoal.
S3 Splatsville mailbox schedule.jpg ATUME TIME The text on the side of the mailbox in Splatsville, with the text deciphered text being the larger text in the middle. "ATUME" may be a romanization of "集め", meaning "collecting". This is likely referring to the collection times for this mailbox.
S3 Splatsville delivery motorcycle back.jpg THIS IS THUNDER

T HUNDER

Text on the parcels and on the license plate for a delivery motorcycle in Splatsville (though the license plate is upside down).
S3 Splatsville studio drink.png COFFEE RPO The drink Frye has next to her in Deep Cut's studio, seemingly from the cafe upstairs.
S3 Band H2Whoa.jpg OKUTOPASUTAKO VOCAL

NAGARENAHASANGO GUITER

Text on the cover of the H2Whoa album jacket that seems to reveal the musical roles and species of the pictured band members. OKUTOPASU is a romanization of "octopus", and TAKO also means "octopus". NAGARENAHASANGO seems to be a misspelling of NAGAREHANASANGO, which is the Japanese name of Euphyllia ancora, or anchor coral. GUITER is a misspelling of "guitar".
S3 Sticker TG-R sticker.png DAET

NAME

ACSES ALL ARIA

A label found in Mako Mart. DAET is a misspelling of "date" and ACSES ALL ARIA seems to be a corruption of "access all area".
S3 Sticker RCT sticker.png NIMOTU

DATE

An IShipIt receipt found in Flounder Heights. NIMOTU is a romanization of 荷物, meaning "parcel".
S3 Killer Wail 5.1 speaker closeup.jpg MI BANKARA Text found on Killer Wail 5.1's speakers. "BANKARA" comes from Splatsville's Japanese name, Bankara-gai.
SRNW Grizzco freezer sticker 1.png CAUION
DANGER
TYUUI
ABUNAIU
A sticker found on the doors of the freezer inside of Grizzco Industries. CAUION is a misspelling of "Caution".
SRNW Grizzco freezer sticker 2.png ONAKASUIT
AN SUSI
TABENAAI
A sticker found on the side of the freezer inside of Grizzco Industries.

Mimicked words

Image Meaning Additional Information
S Band Turquoise October.jpg TURQUOIS OCTOBER Turquoise October album jacket from Splatoon.
S2 Band Turquoise October.png OCT TOOL Turquoise October album jacket from Splatoon 2. (the Japanese name of Turquoise October is "OCTOTOOL")
S2 Sunken Scroll 3.png %OFF

%OFF

On the right side. The Halfmoon Script is mimicking "30".
Hammehead bridge fire hydrant.jpg 消カ器 Text written on what appears to be a fire extinguisher cabinet on Hammerhead Bridge. Appears to read 消火器 shōkaki, which means "fire extinguisher," but with the "ka" written in katakana instead of kanji.
S3 Banner 902.png Nintendo

Live

2022

Banner for the Deep Cut Concert at Nintendo Live 2022.

Round script

Round script cipher.png

This script appears throughout the Splatoon series. It is mostly used on buildings, signs and posters. This script is distinct in that its deciphered form resembles Latin script. Despite this, it is still sometimes used to mimic words.

Deciphered

Image Meaning Additional Information
On Air Sign.jpg ON AIR From the studio where Inkopolis News is filmed.
Shiokaraibu 2 promo art.jpg LIVE, niconicochokaici, SHIOKARAZ The "niconicochokaici" is in small text at the top, and alludes to "niconico chokaigi". "LIVE" is at the top part of the poster. "SHIOKARAZ" Refers to the Japanese name of the Squid Sisters.
UFO CATCHER broken game machine Inkopolis Square.jpg UFO CATCHER From the arcade machine directly next to where the player can access Squid Beatz 2 in Inkopolis Square. This references the line of Japanese claw machines manufactured by Sega. The text underneath it appears to not be round script but instead seems to be attempting to mimic Japanese.
Inkopolis Live Tokaigi 2018 Poster.jpg LI VE, HICOLOR From the official art for Haicalive at Tokaigi 2018. HICOLOR refers to the Japanese name of Inkopolis, Haikara.
Squiddor Logo.png IDATEN From the iShipIt logo. Idaten (Skanda) is a bodhisattva known for his fast running. The Japanese name of iShipIt, Ikaten Transport (イカテン急便), is a pun on ika (squid) and Idaten.
Suction Bomb HQ.png GAS Written on the labels of the Suction Bombs. Cut off in the example image.
Octopus oil company.png MARGINAL VISIT Text above the logo of a famous oil company in the Splatoon world. As "marginal visit" does not have any real meaning, it is likely meant to be filler text.
Splatoon 2 - Bisk 2D.png KANI Handwritten on Bisk's shirt. Kani is the Japanese word for crab.
Jelfonzo tuesday shirt.jpg F*** YOU The obscene shirt Jelfonzo wears on Tuesdays. It is not censored in-game.
Jelfonzo concept art.jpg HELLO Shown in concept art for Jelfonzo in The Art of Splatoon 2, on the white shirt with the gold mouth on it.
Sheldon concept art S2.png HONORS THE CONTRIBUTION HSQ, OFFICIAL DEALING HSQ, CLASS S CHAMPS HNBA From concept art for Sheldon in The Art of Splatoon 2. Text listed from the badges shown from top to bottom. "HSQ" Is an abbreviation of Haikara Square, the Japanese name for Inkopolis Square. "HNBA" Refers to Haikara NawaBari Association, with Haikara being the Japanese name for Inkopolis, and nawabari being the Japanese name for Turf War.
Long carrot tee back.png OPQRSTU, DEFGHIJKLMN Long strings of text in alphabetical order, with the OPQR line on top and the DEFG line on bottom.
OE Bubble Tape.png BUBBLE GUM, HACE MINT, ??? The text on containers of Bubble Tape in Slow Ride Station and Wassup 8-Ball Station. The strawberry gum has round script text on it, but it's unidentifiable.
OE Bubble Tape Cherry Blossom and Squid Fin Lemon.png ENPERA The text on containers of Bubble Tape in Slow Ride Station and Wassup 8-Ball Station. Enpera means "squid fin," as the fruit shown on the packaging is called a squid-fin lemon in English.
Compact Discs Octo Expansion.png KLMNOPQRABCDEFGHIJ Text on the CDs in Mad Props Station and Stick 'n' Move Station. The text is dummy text, and the Serif Script on the disc means the same thing.
FrontRoeBandArt.jpg SCALLOP Under the skeletal scallop logo at the bottom left of Front Roe's album art. The same scallop logo appears on signs in Inkopolis Square and is associated with musical equipment.
S2 Inkopolis Plaza PLAZA CIATER text.jpg ENCEKI ST Text found above the door to an inaccessible building in Inkopolis Plaza. Considering the text above in serif script as well as another poster nearby references a theater in that area, the "C" could be mimicking "G", making it read "ENGEKI ST", meaning "theater street".
S3 Band Deep Cut x Squid Sisters.png SHIOKAR BSH Album cover for Calamari Inkantation 3MIX. A shortening of shiokara bushi, the Japanese name of Calamari Inkantation.
Sturgeon Exterior Wall.jpg No ? DOCK An exterior wall of Sturgeon Shipyard. The number of the dock is unknown.
S3 Inkblot Art Academy job hunting sign.png SHUUKATU Text at the top of a bulletin board in Inkblot Art Academy. Roughly translates to "job hunting".
S3 Sheldon shell stickers.png MANAGER

BUKICHI

A sticker found on Sheldon's shell in Splatoon 3. "BUKICHI" is Sheldon's Japanese name.

Mimicked words

Image Meaning Additional Information
MakoMart Ad (Round).jpg SALE, ANNVESAR A MakoMart ad show on a screen in Inkopolis Square, alluding to an anniversary sale.
SUPER PRICE.jpg SUPER PRICE Picture shown on a screen hanging from the ceiling of MakoMart.
STAY FRESH.jpg STAY FRESH Picture shown on a screen hanging from the ceiling of MakoMart.
S2 Gear Clothing Mister Shrug Tee.png Mr. SHRUG Text on the Mister Shrug Tee. The symbol used to represent "Mr." is not found in the deciphered form of round script. Following the cipher, the second word would read SNROC.
Music equipment sign.png OCTPUS Logo of a music equipment company in the Splatoon world. while the letters O, T, P, and U match round script's lettering, the C and S do not.
OE Bubble Tape Cherry Blossom and Squid Fin Lemon.png PASSION BERRY The text on containers of Bubble Tape in Slow Ride Station and Wassup 8-Ball Station.
Gift Shop (Goby Arena).jpg GIFT SHOP Sign seen in the background of Goby Arena.
Squid or Octo White T-Shirt.jpg SQUID, TURF WAR, OCTO A shirt from the Squid or Octo merchandise series.

Bubble script

Bubble script cipher.png

Compared to the previously listed scripts, "bubble" is rarely used. It has not yet been used to mimic any words in English or Japanese, and is often used to write complete gibberish and filler text. Several letters in this alphabet map to the same symbols: A and R, S and B, C and T, D and U, E and V, F and W, G and X, H and Y, and K and Z.

Deciphered

Image Meaning Additional Information
Tide Goes Out logo.png SU MISO AE NIGHT The logo seen on the Squid Sisters' trucks when Marie performs Tide Goes Out. Refers to the Japanese name of the song, スミソアエの夜 Sumisoae no Yoru, instead using the English translation of yoru, "night."
S Band Bob Dub.jpg LMNOPQ On the bottom-left of Bob Dub's album art.
S2 Sunken Scroll 12.png AVOCADO TOAST Text found on the image in the middle. From Sunken Scroll 12 found in Octo Canyon.
S2 Splatfest Poster Team Octopus.png TAKONINARERUKO Tako ni nareru ko means "A kid who could be an octopus." From a promotional poster for Squid vs. Octopus (2018), appearing in the green box on the bottom right of the image.
S2 Splatfest Poster Team Squid.png YAPPARIIKAGASUKI Yappari ika ga suki means "I like squids as always." From a promotional poster for Squid vs. Octopus (2018), appearing in the pink box on the bottom right of the image.
Orange Cardigan front.jpg BCDE MNOPQ GHIJK Text on the Orange Cardigan.
Jelfonzo shirt concept art.jpg YOU SUCK Shown in concept art of Jelfonzo's shirts in The Art of Splatoon 2. This exact version of this shirt was not used in the final version of the game.
Jelfonzo concept art.jpg KISS ME Shown in concept art for Jelfonzo in The Art of Splatoon 2, on the yellow shirt on the right of the image.
S2 Inkopolis Square blue poster.png SHIATA HAIKA Shown on a poster in Inkopolis Square. May be a romanization of "Theater Haika," with "Haika" being short for "Haikara," the Japanese name for Inkopolis.
Sheet Record Haikara Walker.png IKATO OCHADEMO Possibly supposed to be ika to oc ha demo, with oc short for "octopus," making the meaning "Squid and Octopus demo." From a design on the sheet records floating in the background of Cratebuster Station and Matchmaker Station in the Octo Expansion, specifically the bottom left design. Image pulled from HaikaraWalker.
S2 Sunken Scroll 9.png SAIGO NO HONYURUI GA RYOMUNE NI CHINZASURU SHIJOU SAIKYO NO SUKAJAN! In the bright teal section to the left, underneath a drawing of the Squid Satin Jacket. Translates to something to the effect of "The last mammal sits on both sides of the chest, this is the strongest Satin jacket in history!" From Sunken Scroll 9 found in Octo Canyon.
S3 Sunken Scroll 16.pngS3 scroll16 Inkling language translation.png See images for meaning Sunken scroll 16 in Splatoon 3 describes the development of a coconut crab in readable Japanese. The text implies that Mr. Coco is at least 27 years old. See images for more details.
Juicy fruit box hagglefish.png JUICY Box seen in Hagglefish Market.
OE denizen newspaper.png HALF PLICE Text on a newspaper read by birdbeak dogfish in the Deepsea Metro, with the text being deciphered here being found on the bottom left. "PLICE" seems to be a misspelling of "price".

Runic script

RunicScriptCipher.png

"Runic" script appears in various places, notably in some Sunken Scrolls. It is sometimes used in longer bodies of gibberish text. Several letters in this alphabet map to the same symbols: C and W, D and U; E, N and V; G and X, I and Y, and O and Z.

Deciphered

Image Meaning Additional Information
S2 Sunken Scroll 22.png IKASUGRAM The header of the website. Combines the words "Instagram" with ikasu, "fresh." From Sunken Scroll 22.
S2 Sunken Scroll 6.png KANIDER On Bisk's guitar pick. Kani means "crab" in Japanese. From Sunken Scroll 6 in Splatoon 2.
S2 Sunken Scroll 14.png ZOO PLANKTON AKTO ZAKOU The largest text in the middle of the page on the right. Sunken Scroll 14 seems to be written in romanized Japanese. AKTO may be a misspelling of something, ZAKOU means "small fish." What can be made out from the remaining text on the scroll is that it is about research into microorganisms, but unfortunately the text is small and littered with misspellings, making translation extremely difficult.
S2 Sunken Scroll 21.png IKAREKI NISENJUUNANA ETSU ARE TYODAN On the top of the newspaper. It appears to be Japanese. The text is small, so it is difficult to decipher. IKAREKI NISENJUUNANA means "Squid Calendar 2017." From Sunken Scroll 21.
Shellendorf Institute 5.0.0.jpg AGAK SEISI Above the signature on the near-middle left, most likely the name of whomever was writing the message. The remaining runic script text is gibberish.
Goby Arena (Final).jpg FINAL Logo seen in banners and the hanging screen present in Goby Arena.
City of Color Logo.png HIGH COLOR SHINKA Logo for City of Color, which is projected onto the trucks that the Squid Sisters perform concerts on at Inkopolis Plaza. The text matches the Japanese name of the song.
Sheldon concept art S2.png FISH From concept art for Sheldon in The Art of Splatoon 2. The "FISH" text is on a badge for being fluent in other species' languages, implying that runic script is a writing system used by fish. Evidently, however, the various scripts have not been consistently used with any single species.
TATAKAI.jpg TATAKAI, MUKASHI NO MIMI NO NAGAI IKIMONO TO IKA SONO TATAKAI NO YOUSU WO _ MONO DEATA Plaque describing a folding screen exhibited in Skipper Pavilion, with a painting seemingly depicting a battle between a squid and a rabbit (here called an "ancient being with long ears"). One of the words has proven to be too difficult to read and decipher due to the low resolution of the texture.
Inkopolis Live Tokaigi 2018 Poster.jpg ANTOKA HONIARARARA

NEOWEUNIO UO UNA

On the bottom left, next to the logos. It appears to be Japanese with gibberish mixed in. From the poster for Haicalive at Tokaigi 2018.
S3 Decoration dancing flower.png ROCK AND ROLL Text wrapped around the flower pot of the dancing flower locker decoration.
S3 Decoration fangirl comic.png IKAS TAKO Seen on the cover of the fangirl comic, as well as the romance comic and love-and-war comic locker decorations. 'Ika' means squid and 'tako' means octopus.
FrontRoeBandArt.jpg SUPISUQUKO REKORDS Text written around the rainbow logo on the bottom right of Front Roe's album art. The "REKORDS" text is upside down.
Menu.png AGEBASAMI SAND

AGEBAGEBASAMI SAND

MAKIAMI ROLE 360

MAKIAMI ROLE 720

BIGMOTHER MOUNTAIN

BIGMOTHER GARRDEN


UENO IATU

MEINSAVE REMON IKADASH APPLE

SUBSAVE BERRY SP CHARGE RUMNE

INK MELLON SP SAVE RATTE

HITO SASH TOMOT


SITANO IATU

SUPESYA APUUS KANZIKI GREAP

SYOTORESUTA MOKA SUBRITE LIME

ZYUNP ORANGE AKUSYON SUTORE BE

SABUAPPU MIZU

Crab-N-Go's menu, listing all foods and drinks using their Japanese names, albeit with a few typos and shorthands.
S3 Brinewater Springs history.jpg KUSUYA ONSEN REKISI

kusuya ha kusui tada ga sikasi sirede attemo kusa mi ha muator rezoi nanu arattemo kusa miha torema sendesita

banka onse daihi MURO ASI

Text on a granite plaque near the spawn points of Brinewater Springs. When translated, "KUSUYA ONSEN REKISI" means "Brinewater Springs History" ("Kusaya Onsen" being the stage name in Japanese).
S3 Flounder Heights barbershop prices.png PRICE

CUT 300 AHVE PER 900

SONOHOKA NANIKA TAYOU SHI MAS

Text found in the window of Flounder Heights' barbershop, seemingly listing the price of a haircut.
S3 Flounder Heights barbershop times.png AM 12:00

PM 10:00

Text found on the door of Flounder Heights' barbershop.
S3 Hagglefish Market TOYS.jpg TOYS A sign found in Hagglefish Market.
S3 mineral water poster.jpg THE MINERAL WOTER The text at the bottom of an unused poster intended to be placed in Splatsville. "WOTER" is likely to be a misspelling of "water".
Mahi-Mahi YunaForSound Advert.png YUNA FOR SOUND The text under the logo on a sign found in Mahi-Mahi Resort.
S3 Decoration pink squid cushion.pngSquid cushion tag.png san-ei. co., ohy

made in bokke

Text on the tags of the squid cushion locker decorations. It is similar to the text found on the tags of the real-life squid cushions, except "LTD" is replaced by "ohy", and "VIETNAM" with "bokke".
S2 New Albacore Hotel OFFICE.jpg OFFICE Text found on a booth where a jellyfish is working in New Albacore Hotel.
S2 New Albacore Hotel JICE MILK.jpg JICE MILK Text found on some drink dispensers in New Albacore Hotel. JICE seems to be a misspelling of "juice".

Mimicked

Image Meaning Additional Information
Tower Records Splatoon Exhibition Promo Image4.jpg NO MUSIC, NO LIFE. On the sticker near the middle.
INFO sign.jpg N,S Imitating the letters for "North" and "South" on the compass. Located in Wahoo World.

Serif script

SerifScriptCipher.png

"Serif" script is nicknamed as such for how it resembles letters with serifs on them. Appears in many places, notably on Splatoon 2's Sunken Scrolls. Several letters in this alphabet map to the same symbols: F and U, G and V, H and W, I and X, J and Y, and E, T and Z share one symbol.

Deciphered

Image Meaning Additional Information
S2 Sunken Scroll 20.png HOTARU'S GOKAKU MAMORI A gōkaku mamori refers to a kind of good luck amulet used to pass exams. Hotaru is Marie's Japanese name. From Sunken Scroll 20.
S2 Sunken Scroll 12.png IKASGRAM, 3 HOURS AGO, FRESH, HIKARI ISIMOTI, IKA KAWAII, IKETERU IKA IKASGRAM combines "Instagram" with ikasu, "fresh." It could also be playing on the word ika, "squid." FRESH seems to replace the follow button. The last three listed meanings are the usernames. Hikari is a common Japanese first name, meaning "light." Ishimoti is the Japanese word for a white croaker. Ika kawaii means "squid cute." Iketeru ika means "Stylish squid." From Sunken Scroll 12 in Splatoon 2.
S2 Sunken Scroll 6.png MEDIUM On Bisk's guitar pick. From Sunken Scroll 6 in Splatoon 2.
ID IIMCO

NIJE/JF/NA JR:JJ:JO

CAM D

On the top and bottom of the photograph. The "JR" may refer to Li'l Judd, as he is Judd's "Junior". From Sunken Scroll 26.
S2 Sunken Scroll 1.png ONA KASIDANA NANI EFKFRO On the bottom, near the photo of Pearl. It appears to be Japanese and some gibberish. "Ona" is similar to onna, meaning "woman" (which may refer to Pearl), and nani is Japanese for "what". From Sunken Scroll 1.
Shellendorf Institute 5.0.0.jpg DEBON KAIYOU OWAGA At the top left. From Shellendorf Institute's Japanese name, Debon Kaiyō Hakubutsukan.
O V B

ABCDF HIJK

On the Varsity Baseball LS. The "O" and "B" appear to have missing serifs. The "V B" may stand for "Varsity Baseball".
S2 Green Cardigan Back.png ABCDEF, DEFGHIJKLMN On the back of the Green Cardigan.
Inkopolis Gear Shop 01.png WAKAME NO KIMOCHI, KAISOU In the logo of a gear franchise in the Splatoon world. Translates to "The feeling of wakame, seagrass".
Maritime Memory logo.png AOWOTA MEMORY Logo for Maritime Memory, which is projected onto the trucks that the Squid Sisters perform concerts on at Inkopolis Plaza. Ao means blue, and wota may be an odd romanization of "water."
S2 Inkopolis Square blue poster.png BOORI BOORI A poster found in Inkopolis Square, near Crusty Sean's truck.
Octotune Album Booklet Page 9.jpg VOGUE The header for the interview with Pearl in Octotune.
Sheet Record Haikara Walker.png TANOSH This text on the top right design is possibly supposed to be tanoshii, which means "fun" or "pleasant." From a design on the sheet records floating in the background of Cratebuster Station and Matchmaker Station in the Octo Expansion. Image pulled from HaikaraWalker.
OE Bubble Tape.png BUBBLE GUM The text on the back of Bubble Tape containers in Slow Ride Station and Wassup 8-Ball Station. The Passion Fruit and Squidfin Lemon containers also have the same text.
Compact Discs Octo Expansion.png ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRS, 1. ABCDEF, 2. GHIJKL, 3. MNOPQRS, Text on the CDs in Mad Props Station and Stick 'n' Move Station. The text is dummy text, and the Round Script on the disc means the same thing.
S2 MantaMaria2.jpg SANTA MARIA Seen on the hull of Manta Maria and a wall near the central mast.
Bankalive poster.jpg NINTENDO LIVE AT TOKYO In the second line of text. The remaining of the serif script text is gibberish. From a promotional poster for the Deep Cut Concert at Nintendo Live 2022.
S3 Grizzco Gear variants.jpg CONTACT UR PEOPLE TO RESCUE YOU FROM THEM
TURTLE HELM PROTECTS YOU FROM ALL ATTACKS
Text on the strap of the headlamp on the helmet of the Slopsuits in Salmon Run Next Wave.
Hotlantis doors text.png PARU time, sen nine

ONE goods, game, hoby card, game, TWO goods, hoby, card game

ryuuguu GOODS open

Text seen on the doors of Hotlantis. The words are a mix of English and Japanese, both of which with misspellings.
S3 Crab N Go Staff nametag.png MOTHER The nametag of the Staff member working at the Crab-N-Go. Seems to reference the Japanese name for Marigold "マザー", meaning "Mother".
S2 Goby Arena scoreboard.jpg HOME AWAY

PERIOD

A scoreboard found in Goby Arena.
OE denizen book.png DANIEL CDHNI Text on a book read by the ping-pong tree sponges in the Deepsea Metro, with the text deciphered being found on the bottom middle of the texture.
OE denizen newspaper.png Top left page:
DAILY NEWS
WHO
ISAGIRLE

Top right page:

HYERIA
GAS
Text on a newspaper read by birdbeak dogfish in the Deepsea Metro. The top left section features an image of Off the Hook.
OE denizen shirt KURUMA.png KURUMA A shirt that can be worn by the siphonophores in the Deepsea Metro. "KURUMA" is the Japanese word for "car" or "vehicle".
S2 Inkopolis Plaza PLAZA CIATER text.jpg PLAZA CIATER Text found above the door to an inaccessible building in Inkopolis Plaza. CIATER likely is an odd romanization of "theater".
S3 Splatsville rojak stand.jpg ROJAK A rojak stand that appears in Splatsville during Splatfests.
Tacticooler S3 Artbook concept art.png REDB Concept art of the Tacticooler. "REDB" appears to be referencing Red Bull, a popular brand of energy drinks.
S3 Hotlantis outside logo.jpg RYUUGUU BUILDING Text to the right of the entrance to Hotlantis. "RYUUGUU" seems to be derived from 竜宮城 ("ryuuguujo"), Hotlantis' Japanese name

Halfmoon script

Halfmoon script cipher.png

"Halfmoon" script is primarily used in place of a headline. Several letters in this alphabet map to the same symbols: A and H, B and S, D and T, E and M, F and U, G and V, I and W, J and X, K and Y, and L and Z.

Deciphered

Image Meaning Additional Information
Haikara walker in the deepsea metro.jpg HIKARA Inkopolis Illustrated, known as HaikaraWalker in Japan.
S2 Sunken Scroll 21.png SEAOCOLORS AORI Reference to the Squid Sisters and Callie's name in Japanese. Used as the newspaper's headline. From Sunken Scroll 21.
S2 Sunken Scroll 23.png EIM IK Behind the taped diagram. The text below is small and hard to read, and therefore hard to decipher. However, this entire scroll is likely just gibberish. From Sunken Scroll 23.
S2 Sunken Scroll 9.png TENPO HA ANEMO NO ATAMA NO ATAMA NO NAKA On the gray sticker near the middle-left. Translates from Japanese to "The store is on the top of Annie's head." From Sunken Scroll 9.
Eeltail Alley bridge (1st version).png BANKARA Reference to Splatsville's name in Japanese. Present only on the Return of the Mammalians trailer, the writing seems to have been removed in newer versions of the map, although the cubic objects still remain.
Horticultural Medicine.png NOURISHING From HaikaraWalker (page 227). Description of a horticultural medicine seen attached to tree trunks in the Octo Expansion.
Squid or Octo Shoe box.jpg THANK YOU FOR IIKA FUNK Text present on the inside of the Squid or Octo series shoe box.
Calamari Inkantation Logo.png HIGH COLOR Logo for the Calamari Inkantation, which is projected onto the trucks that the Squid Sisters perform concerts on at Inkopolis Plaza.
S Band Bob Dub.jpg Kbc Te gAijC

Gai Tk Len_ Ti

On the top-right of Bob Dub's album art. It is most likely intended to be gibberish filler text.
Cuttlefish Idol.jpg COIKARS Possibly a combination of "Kouika," golden cuttlefish, and "Gals." This may be the name of the unnamed idol duo.
Sheet Record Haikara Walker.png JAZZ ARANGE MIX Text is on the top right image. From a design on the sheet records floating in the background of Cratebuster Station and Matchmaker Station in the Octo Expansion. Image pulled from HaikaraWalker.
Splatsville pillars.jpg INFORMATION Text found above the screens on the base of the pillars present in Splatsville.
Mahimahi halfmoonadvert 2.png MUSIC FOR LIFE Found on an advertisement in Mahi-Mahi Resort.
Mahi-Mahi YunaForSound Advert.png TUBUYAKI KYANPEN Found on an advertisement in Mahi-Mahi Resort.
S3 Decoration sci-fi comic.png ROBOIKA On the cover of the sci-fi comic locker decoration. Means 'Robo-squid'.
Bathroom sign texture Barnacle and Dime.png DANSEI

GENDER LESS

JOSEI

Signs found above restrooms in the background of Barnacle & Dime. DANSEI means "male" in Japanese and JOSEI means "female" in Japanese.
S3 Cooler Heads discount sticker.png PRICE OINTYF A sticker found in the window of Cooler Heads.
S3 Mahi-Mahi Resort jellyfish drummer.jpg SONOR Text on the drums belonging to the jellyfish band that plays in Mahi-Mahi Resort. Seems to be referencing the real life brand of drums, Sonor.
S3 Splatsville squid detective sign.jpg IKATANTE A sign found above Grizzco in Splatsville. Seems to be a combination of the Japanese words for squid ("ika") and detective ("tantei"), though slightly misspelled.
S3 Splatsville TANGER label.jpg DANGER

ELECTRICTY

AJJG

A label on some concept art of an electical box in The Art of Splatoon 3. "ELECTRICTY" is a misspelling of "Electricity".
S3 Tableturf player NPC cards.png TRYSTIN

URTARASHO

The tableturf cards held by player NPCs in the hubs. TRYSTIN is comes from "Tri-Stringer" and URTARASHO comes from the Japanese name for Trizooka, Urutora shotto.
S3 Decoration oil can.png SOY OIL

MOOR OIL COMNY

Text found at the bottom of the oil can locker decoration. MOOR OIL COMNY may be a corruption of "motor oil company".
S3 hub ad Big Run call to action frame.png BIGRUNHATUTOUTYUU KUMASANSY Scrolling text at the top of the frame surrounding the advertisements that play on the jumbotron during Big Run. KUMASAN is the Japanese name of Mr. Grizz.
RotM ink refiller cap.jpg BEST BEFORE Text on the cap of an ink refiller.

Mimicked

Image Meaning Additional Information
S2 Sunken Scroll 3.png 30 The Square Script is mimicking "%OFF" and the Halfmoon Script is mimicking the number "30". This means "30 %OFF".
FRAGILE S2 OE C03 begin platform.jpg FRAGILE The word is repeated many times on the tape, which also has a picture of a broken glass on it.

Deepsea stencil script

Splatoon Script Deepsea Stencil font table.png

This script made its debut in the Octo Expansion and is one of the most frequently used scripts there. The symbols used in this script were shown in order in HaikaraWalker. Many of its letters resemble those of the Latin alphabet. This script is seldom used for anything other than bold text meant to be read by the player or complete gibberish. In cases where the text is readable, characters are often swapped and rotated for the sake of mimicry.

The only reliable way to "decipher" this script is to find strings of written Deepsea stencil text that were not meant to be noticed by the player, and therefore were typed into place by the designer, rather than signage where the letters were likely carefully picked and chosen to mimic words. There is one nonsensical string of text that has been found written in Deepsea stencil that fits that description: "WEDDING PORTRAITS RESTRATION DIDITAL PRINTING ID PASSPORT VIDEO TRANSFER FAX COPIES". This string of text is only found written in a small font, and appears wholly or partially across multiple signs and posters in the Deepsea Metro to fill space. Thus, the "deciphered" form of Deepsea stencil script is solely based on letters found in that string of text.

"Deciphered"

Image Meaning Additional Information
MetroGraffiti Alb beta Kamabo Corp logo.png NOTICE, 24 HO8 VDEO Corruption of "24 HOUR VIDEO".
Undersea poster.jpg PRINTING ID PASSPORT VIDEO TRANSFER FAX COPIES This string of text is used as filler on some posters and signage in the Octo Expansion.
24 HOR VDEO notice Inkopolis Square.jpg NOTICE, 24 HOR VDEO Another corruption of "24 HOUR VIDEO".
STAF ONLY S2 OE C03 checkpoint 1.jpg STAF ONLY A slight corruption of "Staff Only".
Deepsea Metro station platform sign.jpg -ISONO ROSEN The text is at the top right of the sign. "ROSEN" is the romanization of "路線", meaning "route" (as in a train or bus route) in English. The dashes represent letters that are not decipherable.
OE entrance exit sign.png WA- O-T

ENTRANCE

EXIT

The dashes represent letters that are not yet decipherable.
OE sign PLEASE GIVE.png T-IS WA- O-T

PLEASE GIVE

The dashes represent letters that are not yet decipherable.
OE sign INTERNAL AIRPORT.png T-IS WA- O-T

INTERNAL AIR PORT

The dashes represent letters that are not yet decipherable.
OE sign AOIRONO ROSEN.png -LE-

AOIRONO ROSEN

"AOIRO" and "ROSEN" are Japanese words, meaning "blue" and "route", respectively. The dashes represent letters that are not yet decipherable.
OE retro sign.png ARCAE The upside-down text at the top of the sign. Seems to be a misspelling of "arcade".

Mimicked words

Image Meaning Additional Information
WELCOME TO DEEPSEA Deepsea Metro Sign.jpg WELCOME to DeepSea This sign seems to mimic "Welcome to the Deepsea Metro" with the Deepsea stencil script.
TestPassed screen.png MISSION CLEAR
NUMBER 10008
Seen in the text surrounding the "TEST PASSED!" sign.
COME ON S2 OE C03 checkpoint 1.jpg COME ON Text on the multicolored sign.
GAMER S2 OE C03 checkpoint 1.jpg GAMER The text below is part of the commonly seen filler phrase, and the text on the green sign shows letters D through M in order in round script.
OE retro sign.png RETRO The text in the middle of the sign.

Sign script

SignScriptCipher.png

This script appears primarily on signs throught the Splatoon world, hence the name. It is often used to mimic words or to write gibberish. While the deciphered form has been discovered, it is very seldom used in a meaningful way. A and O map to the same symbol in this alphabet.

Deciphered words

Image Meaning Additional Information
FRIDG box.png FRIDG Misspelling of fridge, supported by the graphic on the box depicting a refridgerator. Box seen in Splatsville.
Pineapple box hagglefish.png PINEPPLE Box seen in Hagglefish Market.
Do not cross hagglefish.png DO NOT CROSS Signage on the floor seen in Hagglefish Market.
Finns mahimahi.png FINNS Sign seen in Mahi-Mahi Resort in Splatoon 3.
S3 Mincemeat Metalworks fight car.png FIGHT One of many cars seen in Mincemeat Metalworks.
S3 Museum d'Alfonsino ancient art.png ANCIENT Artwork found on each base's rotating platforms in Museum d'Alfonsino in Splatoon 3.
S3 Hagglefish Market cargo ship.jpg R LINE

CARGO LOAD

One of the ships found in Hagglefish Market.
SSBU Murch Spirit.png NEEDLE Text on Murch's shirt in Splatoon 2, referencing his hair, which is made up of needles.

Mimicked words

Image Image Meaning Additional Information
S3 Wahoo World Information Desk.png INFORATION Located in Wahoo World, attempting to mimic "Information".
INFO sign.jpg INFO Located in Wahoo World.
SELFIE SPOT.jpg SELFIE SPOT Sign located on the side of Ye Olde Cloth Shoppe's building.
HOTEL.jpg HOTEL Sign on the side of a building in Inkopolis Square.
Ticket Booth.jpg TIKETS Ticket booth present near one of the spawns in Shellendorf Institute.
Gift Shop (Shellendorf Institute).jpg GIFT SHOP Gift shop present near one of the spawns in Shellendorf Institute.
Flounder Heights Ad.jpg FOR RENT Sign advertising units available for rent seen in Flounder Heights.

Alterna script

ScriptAlternaCipher.png

This script appears almost exclusively around Alterna in Splatoon 3. It is implied to be a writing system developed by humans, which could explain its close resemblance to Latin script. Despite that implication of this writing system, it has also appeared on a few locker decorations that were made in the Inkling's world. This is the only script that was not named or deciphered by fans, as the complete font in the correct order was extracted directly from the game's files. The internal filename is "SpAlterna-Regular", with "Sp" likely short for "Splatoon" and "Regular" being the font weight; thus, this script is called "Alterna".

Deciphered words

Image Meaning Additional Information
AlternaScriptExampleSPECA.jpg ALUTANA TIVE SPECA Writing seen during the final phases of the Hero Mode in Splatoon 3 and on the side of the submarine in Landfill Dreamland. It seems to be based on the Japanese spelling of Alterna "Arutana", with the last word possibly being a misspelling of "Space". "TIVE", if combined with Alterna would result in "Alternative", so this text may be a broken way of spelling "Alternative Space".
sign for pipe leading to alterna site 2 ALUTANA TIVE SPECA

I STEW WIT JULYM

EWK EWEGABV BTANDOR

MANOQ MEWT WEWHHN.

GO HOMW TOGETHERL

LEB ZUAN MOREI HERE.

Writing seen on the sign by the pipe on Future Utopia Island leading to Cozy & Safe Factory. As explained above, "ALUTANA TIVE SPECA" may mean "Alternative Space". "GO HOMW TOGETHERL" seems to say "go home together", just with a few misspelled words.
AlternaScriptExampleExeit.png EXEIT Writing seen next to many of the Kettles in Cozy & Safe Factory. "EXEIT" could be a misspelling of "Exit", labeling the Kettle as such.
Writing found on top of the vats in Cozy & Safe Factory OPENON Text found on top of the giant vats in Cozy & Safe Factory. Seems to read "Open on", possibly relating to opening the vat.
AlternaOutEnergy.jpg OUT ENEGY

ETEW HATO DAMEGI

HAI ENETAGE

DEHELOR

EREKUTORICAL

Found in the Cozy & Safe Factory on the large structures with voltage panels. Some words are either misspelled or are multiple words combined. "Out Energy," unknown, "High Energy/Voltage," "Detector/Generator," and "Electrical."
A yellow warning sign found in Cozy & Safe Factory 3 TTENTON MANA

FOUR MA ONRY

A warning sign found in Cozy & Safe Factory. English words such as "Mana" and "Four" can be seen, with "ONRY" possibly meaning "Only". "3 TTENTON" also seems to bear a resemblance to the word "Attention".
Alterna logo depicting an island surrounded by a ring of text ALTEM TEAM ADDOBENTYA PRANT F 0955

BOUTA TE 005

A logo for Alterna depicting the silhouette of Pangaea surrounded by text. This can be found in Eco-Forest Treehills on the building by the pipe leading to Landfill Dreamland. "ADDOBENTYA" seems to be a transliteration of the word "Adventure" and "ALTEM" may be derived from "Alterna", making the phrase "Alterna Team Adventure".
An arrow pointing up next to backwards text that reads "KAGUI" KAGUI Backwards text found on the doors in Cryogenic Hopetown.
A green sign with a human symbol and the text "FUMAH" beneath it FUMAH A sign found in Alterna Space Center Hangar. "FUMAH" seems to be derived from "Fuman", which the word "Human" may have been transliterated as. This would be the case due to the kana "ふ" being romanized both as "Fu" and "Hu".
A black and red sign ATHORZEDO

PASON AKAWSE

OMIY METAE.

A sign found Alterna Space Center. "ATHORZEDO" seems to be a transliteration of "Authorized". "PASON" and "OMIY" seem to be mispellings of "Person" and "Only", respectively.
Seven Tobe Trerse Front.png SEVEN TOBE TRERSE (top left)

REKODOZYAKETTO.023 SEETUSAABETTUH (bottom)

Writing seen on one of the record covers that can be found next to Gold Records around Alterna. "SEVEN" is the only obviously legible part, while "TOBE" could mean "to be". "REKODOZYAKETTO" is the romanization of "レコードジャケット", meaning "record jacket" in English.
Seven Tobe Trerse Back.png Tracklist:
  1. THE MESSIAH OR KOMOREKKO
  2. LONG HIKHTTIS CALL
  3. YESTREDSY DIDN, ES FDSMT
  4. KSLSREX
  5. UNDER MOIUTHY SILKININQIR
  6. MITEUDOAKSA:DJSK

Below the "SEVEN TOBE TRERSE" text block:

(JFOF)&KFKPLC ALL 1542 RHSAHRV
Writing seen on the back of the record cover discussed above. A few words are legible, most notably "The messiah or", "Long [...] call", and "Under". "YESTREDSY" might be a misspelling of "Yesterday".
S3 Band Stars in the Deep.png MAPLL The cover of Stars in the Deep's album. The letters are stylized, especially the A, but clearly resemble the standard script.
S3 Band Stars in the Deep Album cover back.png KAKOUNI NOMETTOMADE DFAKFOASO SAMUIYONE.

MIKUAJA (KA.8254) YYET. TDA FAMALOG DMAL541.

The back cover of Stars in the Deep's album. "SAMUIYONE" may be a romanization of 寒いよね, which translates to "[It's] cold, isn't it?"
S3 Band Mimicry.png HDIOA IE PARIEIW

YAKKOR


URWAIO OID ;EW

On the cover of Mimicry's album.
S3 Band Wash Out.png YAHAH DJAE 152:5GD1

MAP,

SUER AH KDJAJ
FIHUTR HDIS OE
BUEWI DSJ.DAH
KAI JDIAMA KOT
654/108/452 45
KUSATT HSAOW

Found on Wash Out's album cover. Other than "MAP", it appears to be gibberish.
S3 Band Firefly Album cover back.png IDSAO.INK Found on Firefly's album cover, more noticeably on the back cover (pictured).
S3 Band On the Clock Album cover back.png SUN DKA DO

HAPPYEN

12KCF MDS

IZIA

GAWABU

LANSJOVJ

Found on the backside of On the Clock's album covers, scattered as debris across Eco-Forest Treehills. A few words are just barely legible, such as "Sun" and "Happy".
S3 Band Anxiety Society.png GANIDAN


DAKL HIGH IKDAFDK NI.

On the cover of Anxiety Society's album art. The other text appears to be gibberish.
A sign pointing to the left GORU DA

995 SUN

A sign from a signpost in Cryogenic Hopetown found between the pipes leading to Landfill Dreamland and Eco-Forest Treehills. This sign in particular seems to point towards Landfill Dreamland.
A sign pointing to the right PURNT DA

305 SUN

A sign from a signpost in Cryogenic Hopetown found between the pipes leading to Landfill Dreamland and Eco-Forest Treehills. This sign in particular seems to point towards Eco-Forest Treehills.
A sign pointing to the right HAIK DA

639 SUN

A sign from a signpost in Cryogenic Hopetown found between the pipes leading to Landfill Dreamland and Eco-Forest Treehills. This sign in particular seems to point towards Alterna Space Center, but it may also be pointing towards Cozy & Safe Factory.
S3 Alterna Space Center Warning Levels.png ENTER ZIE HUACTORY


47 KONPLX WGNING LURE

🔴 REDO - DANGE CLEA ARIE

🟡 FALAS UNBAR - HUZARD NOT INTA CLIA

🟡 UNBAR - ENTA ZHA COUTON

🟢 GOEEM - OLU CLEA


ENTA IN SPACU ERIA AND.

MOB 071-K124-S5049 // EN.

A sign found within the Alterna Space Center. The text directly below the untranslatable text near the top seems to be intended to read "Enter the factory", and the text near the bottom seems to read "Enter in space area and."

Although somewhat mangled, the colored text appears to show a variety of warning levels and their meanings. An attempt at translation is below.

  • Red - Danger! Clear Area!
  • "False Alarm/Amber(?)" - Hazard not (entirely? enter?) clear
  • "Alarm/Amber(?)" - Enter (the? with?) caution
  • Green - All clear
S3 Alterna I Want You.png WONGTE


I WUNT YOU

FYR

FLY WE TO MGGM.

TIMQ I SS 043/201/3418

A sign found within the Alterna Space Center. It appears to be some kind of recruitment poster, possibly to be a passenger aboard The Spirit Lifter judging by the mention of flight.
Popular novel cover.png IKA TAKO Subtitle on the cover of the "popular novel" locker decoration. "Ika" means squid and "Tako" means octopus. It is unknown why this script has been used on an object of presumably non-human origin.
S3 Decoration pink squid cushion.pngSquid cushion tag.png 1309 NINTENDO Text on the tags of the squid cushion locker decorations. It is unknown why this script has been used on an object of presumably non-human origin.

Mimicked words

Image Meaning Additional Information
record with blue center DVDE Found on Future Utopia Island alongside other scattered records and record covers. "DVDE" may be mimicking "Dude" or "DVD".
red and white sign NX GUN ZUERE!! Found outside the entrance to Alterna Space Center and inside its entrance. This seems to be mimicking the phrase "No guns here!!", referencing Alterna Space Center: Entrance removing the player's Hero Gear and weapons upon entry.
text on the wall IMEFOMATON-

JIS ARIM TOMWT

MWET /// MWO/

MOWNAE.02352LO

MME MWET-092JO

Text seen throughout Alterna Space Center. "IMEFOMATON" appears to be mimicking the word "Information".

Serif number script

From The Art of Splatoon.

A serif script which consists solely of numbers. However, this might be a part of the "serif" script above.

Deciphered

Image Meaning Additional Information
S2 Stage Piranha Pit Promo Image5.jpg no. 9 Octopus graffiti found across Piranha Pit. The "no." appears to be mimicked, however.

According to a real-life Shibuya Tower exhibit on 2018, Piranha Pit is the home to a gang called "No. 9" led by an Inkling who cares for the Zapfish and Octarians while hating Inklings.[5]

Inkopolis Live Tokaigi 2018 Poster.jpg 2049.85.39.6 From the poster for Haicalive at Tokaigi 2018. On the bottom left. The text doesn't match with the date the concert was held (February 10 2018), so it is likely just filler text.
Urchins jersey back.jpg 3 Seen on the back of the Urchins Jersey.
Agent 3 - Octo Expansion.jpg 3 In Octo Expansion, Agent 3 wears a cape with a "3" on it.
S2 Stage Sweet Valley Tentacles.png
Shifty Station layout 12 squid dummy.jpg
Shifty Station layout 12 tentacle dummy.jpg
1, 2, 3 Sweet Valley Tentacles features three numbered gates of each team that open when their respective tentacles are splatted.
Sturgeon Exterior Wall.jpg 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Depth markers lining an exterior wall of Sturgeon Shipyard.

Oval number script

From The Art of Splatoon.

Deciphered

Image Meaning Additional Information
S2 art 2D OtH music.png 201_2307 On a billboard seen in the background of Inkopolis Square.
B-ball jersey away back.jpg
B-ball jersey home back.jpg
52 The numbers on the back of B-ball Jersey (Away) and B-ball Jersey (Home). These two are especially blocky.

Mimicked words

Image Meaning Additional Information
S3 Weapon Main N-ZAP '89.png 89 The weapon icon for N-ZAP '89. The "9" appears to be mimicked instead of using the proper "9" script.

Undeciphered and mimicry-only character sets

The following examples are of writing systems with consistent symbols that appear in different arrangements, and appear frequently enough to be noteworthy. However, the deciphered form to these character sets is unknown, and may or may not exist.

Deepsea block script

DeepseaBlockScript.png

This script made its debut in Octo Expansion, and it appears on posters and advertisements in the Deepsea Metro. The symbols used in order were shown for this script in HaikaraWalker. So far, it seems that this script is solely used to mimic words or to write gibberish.

Mimicked words

Image Meaning Additional Information
Undersea poster.jpg UNDERSEA Poster seen in the Octo Expansion.
OE Sealing Thang Obtained.jpg ARE
GET
This is the screen immediately after getting a thang. "Are" is the romanization of "アレ", which is the Japanese name for "Thang". "Are Get" is also the Japanese track name of Thang Obtained.

Warning script

"Warning" script is named for its common use on warning and exit signs, commonly alongside the "Slow Your Roll" Mole. Most Warning script text is reused from other unrelated signs, and it doesn't appear to be decipherable, solely being used to mimic words.

Mimicked words

Image Meaning Additional Information
Exit sign.jpg EXIT A common sign found across the world of Splatoon. This one is on the floor of the lobby in Splatoon 3.
Squid or Octo sticky note stand.jpg HELLO my name is Sticky notes from the Squid or Octo merchandise series. This design also appears as graffiti in-game as well.
S3 Mincemeat Metalworks safety first sign.png 安全第一 A sign found in Mincemeat Metalworks. Anzen Daiichi is a commonly used phrase that translates to "safety first".
S3 Mincemeat Metalworks fire safety sign.png 火気厳禁 A sign found in Mincemeat Metalworks. Kaki Genkin is an expression that can be translated as a strict ban on fire.

Undeciphered examples

Image Meaning Additional Information
S2 Rainmaker Free Zone Sign.png A Rainmaker free zone sign.

Lobby script

"Lobby" script first appeared in Splatoon 3, named for its frequent usage inside the lobby. It appears to have uppercase and lowercase forms. Most examples of this script do not mimic any words and appear as gibberish. It is unclear whether or not this script is decipherable.

Mimicked words

Image Meaning Additional Information
S3 lobby floor text.png LOKKA ROOM Text found on the floor of Splatoon 3's lobby at the entrance of the locker room. "LOKKA" seems to come from the loan word "rokkā" which is derived from and means "locker".
S3 Lobby mimicry REST AREA.jpg REST AREA Found by the seating area next to the Crab-N-Go.
S3 Lobby mimicry EXIT.jpg EXIT Found by the Lobby's exit.
DJ BOOTH.jpg DJ BOOTH Text found in the Lobby on the wall of the 2nd floor, mimicking the words "DJ BOOTH".

Undeciphered examples

Image Meaning Additional Information
S3 Inkopolis Plaza lobby billboard.png A billboard advertising the lobby, found behind the train station in Inkopolis Plaza, which uses Lobby script on the right side.
S3 lobby wall map.jpg A map found on the wall of Splatoon 3's lobby, which uses Lobby script above and below the map itself.
Octoplush.png The album cover for Octoplush, which uses Lobby script on the right side.
S3 Decoration purple loose-leaf binder.png The purple loose-leaf binder locker decoration uses Lobby script on the spine.

Spire script

A script featured in Side Order. The characters appear to mimic numbers, English letters, and katakana characters.

Mimicked words

Image Meaning Additional Information
SO Promo screenshot 21.png 28-80001RN A promotional image of the ∞-ball, which has visible spire script similar to the Deepsea stencil script on Octo Expansion's 8-ball. Since the texture displays backwards in game, it seems the intended reading order is "NR10008-82". This comes from "Number 10008", the name given to Agent 8 by the telephone at the start of the Octo Expansion.
SO Drone-Batteries.png DRON A package of Pearl Drone batteries. The text under the "+" reads "DRON", supposedly derived from "drone".

Undeciphered examples

Image Meaning Additional Information
SO Palette and color chips.jpg A render of the Palette along with four color chips. Spire script can be seen on the lower sections of the chips. All of the text on the chips follow a four-hyphen-two pattern.
SO blue chip closeup.jpg A close-up of Agent 8 holding a mobility upgrade color chip with Spire script on it. The text on the chip's model differs from the text on the chip's floor-select icon.
SO promo clearscreen.jpg A screen that shows when clearing a level in Side Order. Spire script is visible in the center and upper-left corner.
SO Icon color chip power.pngSO Icon color chip range.png
SO Icon color chip mobility.pngSO Icon color chip lucky.png
SO Icon color chip drone.png
The icons for all color chips feature Spire script visible on the bottom.
SO Promo screenshot 31.png A promotional image with Spire script visible in the background, though most of it is too small to read.
SO Promo screenshot 27.png A promotional image showing a floor-select screen. Strings of Spire script are visible along the left and right edges of the screen.
SO Promo screenshot 19.jpg A promotional image showing a the UI of the Palette and icons for each color chip tone. Spire script can be found under the icon of each tone and at the top of the Palette.

Alterna stencil script

Alterna stencil script on a label found in Alterna

This script is exclusively found in Alterna, typically printed on labels in its clean rooms and embossed on structures. Much like Alterna script, its lettering resembles Latin script and is often used for mimicry or strings of gibberish. As a result, it's unclear whether or not this script is decipherable.

Mimicked words

Image Meaning Additional Information
Alterna site 2 pipe entrance sign.png TERMENL
SITE 02
Writing seen on the sign by the pipe on Future Utopia Island leading to Cozy & Safe Factory. "TERMENL" seems to be derived from "terminal".
S3 Alterna sign authorised persons only.png WONING A sign found Alterna Space Center. "WONING" seems to be derived from "warning".
Alterna Site 2 yellow sign.png CATION A warning sign found in Cozy & Safe Factory. "CATION" seems to be derived from "caution".

Undeciphered examples

Image Meaning Additional Information
Alterna Site 2 QR code sticker.png A label found on the orange boxes in Cozy & Safe Factory, with Alterna stencil script being found below the square script at the top.
RotM clean room label 3.pngRotM clean room label 5.png
RotM clean room label 6.pngRotM clean room label 7.png
RotM clean room label 2.pngRotM clean room label 4.png
A collection of labels found in the clean rooms of Alterna.

Splatoon 3 Splatfest script

This script made its debut in Splatoon 3, appearing in the icons for each Splatfest team in place of the bold script that appeared on Splatfest Tees in the previous two installments. This script strongly resembles Latin script and often uses mimicry. For this reason, it is unclear whether this script can truly be deciphered or if it is solely used for mimicry.

Mimicked words

Image Meaning Additional Information
S3 Splatfest Rock vs Paper vs Scissors.jpg GU PAI HOK The word bubbles in the Rock vs. Paper vs. Scissors logos have mimicking text derived from the names of the teams in Japanese.
S3 Splatfest Dark Chocolate vs Milk Chocolate vs White Chocolate.png BTR MLK WTE The word bubbles in the Dark Chocolate vs. Milk Chocolate vs. White Chocolate logos have mimicking text of abbreviated versions of the team names in Japanese.
S3 Splatfest Shiver vs Frye vs Big Man.png BUK UTS MNT The word bubbles in the Shiver vs. Frye vs. Big Man logos have mimicking text of abbreviated versions of their names in Japanese.
S3 Splatfest Zombie vs Skeleton vs Ghost.png ZMB SKL GST The word bubbles in the Zombie vs. Skeleton vs. Ghost logos have mimicking text of abbreviated versions of the team names.
S3 Splatfest Handshake vs Fist Bump vs Hug.png HNK FBP HUG The word bubbles in the Handshake vs. Fist Bump vs. Hug logos have mimicking text of abbreviated versions of the team names.
S3 Splatfest Friday vs Saturday vs Sunday.png FRIDAY SATUDAY SUNDAY

FRI SAT SUN
The word bubbles in the Friday vs. Saturday vs. Sunday logos have mimicking text derived from common shortenings of the names of the days, with the full names being seen on the calendars themselves (though "Saturday" is misspelled).
S3 Splatfest Drums vs Guitar vs Keyboard.png DRM GTR KBD The word bubbles in the Drums vs. Guitar vs. Keyboard logos have mimicking text of abbreviated versions of the team names.
S3 menu paper scrap texture.png SEA A texture seen in the backround of menus of Splatoon 3, resembling a luggage tag.

Other examples of readable texts

The following examples show text that is designed to mimic words and does not fall under any of the above-listed scripts.

Image Meaning Additional Information
RotM Bankara Dam.png 蛮カラダム Seen in the Crater. バンカラダム means Splatsville dam.
Danger.jpg キけん Seen in the Crater. きけん or 危険 means danger in Japanese.
Shiver.jpg フうか Seen in The Pursuit of the Precious and nearby areas around the boss kettle.

It means Shiver, or フウカ in Japanese. Written in styled hiragana and katakana.

Frye.jpg ウツホ Seen in The Future Stares Back and nearby areas around the boss kettle.

It appears to be Frye, or ウツホ, written in katakana. The third letter is hard to read.

Mantaro-.jpg マんたロ~ Seen in The Obscurest Chiaroscurist and nearby areas around the boss kettle.

Big Man's autograph in Japanese hiragana & katakana in English cursive style.

Mahi building closeup.png NqiNi RFSOR1 & SPA The sign at Mahi-Mahi Resort. The text loosely resembles "MAHI-MAHI RESORT & SPA", the stage's name in Japanese.
Shellendorf Banner.png Tho Davoh Mujum The banner at Shellendorf Institute. The text loosely resembles "The Devon Museum", which is similar to the stage's name in Japanese, デボン海洋博物館 (Devon Oceanographic Museum).
S Band Squid Squad.jpg SQUIDSSQUAD The album artwork for Squid Squad has the name of the band at the top. "SQUIDSQUAD" is also the Japanese name of the album ("Fresh Kids" in English).
S Band DJ Octavio.png DJ OCWAS DJ Octavio's album art. The "OCWAS" appears to be a portmanteau of "Octavio" and "Takowasa", as both names are used to refer to him in Japanese.
S Band Chirpy Chips.pngS2 Band Chirpy Chips.jpgS3 Chirpy Chips Artwork cropped.jpg ABXY The album arts of Chirpy Chips. The logo on all of them loosely resembles "ABXY", the band's Japanese name.
S2 Band DJ Real Sole.png NEW yOU DJ Real Sole's album art. The text resembles the name of their only known song, New You.
S2 Band Diss-Pair.jpg 合食禁 Diss-Pair's album art. The logo loosely resembles 合食禁 gasshokukin, their name in Japanese and a concept of the same name regarding two types of food that should not be eaten together.
S2 Sunken Scroll 15.png CAUTION! A Sunken Scroll with the artwork for an album by Wet Floor. The album artwork features a sticker that parodies the Parental Advisory sticker, with the red letter mimicking the word "caution".
S2 Title Screen Squid Beatz 2.png Ika Radio 2 Squid Beatz 2's logo resembles the words "Ika Radio 2", translating to "Squid Radio 2".
Wahoo World Logo.jpg SMESHI WORLD The logo of Wahoo World seems to spell out "SMESHI WORLD", which is the stage's name in Japanese.
Lobby Tower SquidForce Three Logo.jpg ThREE The sign on Splatoon 3's lobby tower. The text after SquidForce's logo text seems to spell "ThREE" in English.
Sturgeon Shipyard tidy and in order sign.jpg 整理整頓 整理整頓 seiriseiton means "keeping things tidy and in order". This sign can be seen at Sturgeon Shipyard.
S Vending Machines Logo.png じはんき じはんき jihanki means "vending machine". This logo can be seen on vending machines in Splatoon, as well as on the Inkjet and Tenta Missiles in Splatoon 2.
Octopus oil company.png TこoiL Logo of a famous oil company in the Splatoon world. Combination of たこ tako, "octopus", and "oil".
Well 'n Co Musselforge Fitness.png WeL'NCO Logo of an exercise company in the Splatoon world. "WeL'NCO" might come from "Well and Co", an appropriate name for a company related to exercise.
Rock Climbing Logo Splatoon 2.png Fジツボ The logo of Musselforge Fitness. Likely supposed to be フジツボ fujitsubo which connects to the Japanese name of the stage, フジツボスポーツクラブ Fujitsubo Supōtsu Kurabu.
Inkopolis Plaza train station sign.jpg いかうし 伊香牛 Ikaushi, 将軍山, 愛別 The Main text reads いかうし 伊香牛 Ikaushi, which is a station on the JR Hokkaido line. The nearest stations to Ikaushi station are, or was 将軍山 Shōgunzan (currently defunct in real life), which can be seen mimicked on the left, and 愛別 Aibetsu, which can be seen mimicked on the bottom right.
S2 Gear Clothing White Tee.png
White Tee back.jpg
いか, SQUID Some clothing (mostly by SquidForce) features text that mimics the words いか ika, meaning "squid", as well as the word SQUID in English. These are:
S2 Gear Clothing Octo Tee.png
Octo Tee back.png
たこ, OCTOPUS The Octo Tee and Octo Layered LS feature text that mimics the words たこ tako, meaning "octopus", as well as the word OCTOPUS in English.
S2 Gear Clothing SWC Logo Tee.png Splatoon 2 World Championship The SWC Logo Tee reads in English.
S2 Gear Clothing Red Cuttlegear LS.png OCTOPUS The Red Cuttlegear LS and Black Cuttlegear LS feature black text below the "8" that mimics the word OCTOPUS in English.
Lab Coat 2.jpg
Squid Research Lab sign Inkopolis Square.jpg
Sqihd
RmArck Lab.
SRL.
Logo of the the Squid Research Lab seen on banners at the back of lab coats in Splatoon Global Testfire and a sign in Inkopolis Square. The text loosely resembles "Squid Research Lab".
S2 Gear Clothing Basic Tee.png
S2 Basic tee back.png
イカ, SQUID Some SquidForce clothing features a logo made to resemble イカ ika, meaning "squid", as well as text that mimics the word SQUID in English. These are:
S2 Gear Clothing Fresh Octo Tee.png
S2 Fresh Octo Tee back.png
タコ, OCTOPUS The Fresh Octo Tee features a logo made to resemble タコ tako, meaning "octopus", as well as text that mimics the word OCTOPUS in English.
Generic fes shirt back.png Which do you like? On the back of Splatoon 2's Splatfest Tee.
Splatfest Tees Grass Fire Water.jpg クサ, ほのお, ミズ The Splatfest Tee logos for Splatoon 3 Splatfest Grass vs. Fire vs. Water mimic Japanese names for the respective types クサ kusa, ほのお honō, and ミズ mizu. The logos are also in the same style of SquidForce's starting tees: Splatoon 2 and Splatoon designs of the Basic Tee as well as the Tri-Shred Tee in Splatoon 3.
S2 Deep-Octo Satin Jacket back-view.png たKOうつぼ, hOTR, たKOWASA Seen on the back of the Deep-Octo Satin Jacket. Takotsubo is part of the Japanese name of Octo Valley and Octo Canyon. "hOTR" is a mispelling of "Hotaru", Marie's Japanese name. Takowasa is DJ Octavio's Japanese name.
Headlamp Helmet Back.png 蝶鮫造船 A logo associated with Sturgeon Shipyard, seen on the back of the Headlamp Helmet. The text loosely resembles 蝶鮫造船 which is an alternate writing of Sturgeon Shipyard's Japanese name, チョウザメ造船 Chōzame Zōsen.
S Sunken Scroll 24.png FAX The kanji-like symbol on the right side of Sunken Scroll 24 in Splatoon is actually comprised of the letters in the English word "FAX", albeit slightly altered, resized, and rotated.
Jelly King Junior.png
Ancho-V Games Nintendo screen.png
GAME & WATCH,

JERRY KING JR., GAME A,

GAME B, TIME, ALARM, ACL,

CONTROL, NINTENDO, JUMP

A Game & Watch in Ink & Watch Station and Hypercolor Station. The game system and its text are based on the real Donkey Kong Jr. Game & Watch. The "NINTENDO" logo can also be seen in Ancho-V Games and on various objects in the Deepsea Metro.
Super Mario Bros. Cartridge (Family Computer) Octo Expansion.jpg HVC-SM,

ファミリーコンピユ™,

スーパーマリオブラザーズ,

SUPER MAROBROS.™,

©1985 Nintendo

A Famicom cartridge in Footloose Station. The cartridge and its text are based on a the real Super Mario Brothers Famicom cartridge. The "NINTENDO" logo can also be seen in Ancho-V Games and on various objects in the Deepsea Metro.
Under construction sign Sturgeon Shipyard.jpg 工事中 A sign in Sturgeon Shipyard. 工事中 kōjichū means "Under construction."
Construction Scaffold Eeltail S3 A.jpg 防音 Text found in the corners of the sound barriers in Eeltail Alley. 防音 means "Soundproofing".
S2 MantaMaria2.jpg マンタマリア Seen on the hull of Manta Maria (above the serif script) and a wall near the central mast. マンタマリア Manta Maria is the stage's name in most languages.
OC Bomb Rush Blush 3.jpg OCTA, TACO The fists of DJ Octavio's Octobot King II. The text seems to represent both "Octavio" and "Takowasa", as both names are used to refer to him in Japanese.
S Stage Piranha Pit.png Flag seen in Piranha Pit depicting an emblem of an unseen gang called "No. 9".[5] The emblem appears to be a combination of of イカ ("squid") and 九 ("nine").
Earthworks Company 01 Art of Splatoon.png SALMON Logo for an unnamed earthworks company. This logo appears on Balloons and Power Egg containers in Octo Valley and Octo Canyon, suggesting the company plays a part in Octarian-Salmonid trade.
Sheldon's Picks Promo Uncovered.jpg WEApoN
ブキセット
Logo seen in promotional renders of Sheldon's Picks weapon boxes, which appears to be a bilingual ambigram of "WEApoN" and ブキセット buki setto (weapon set).
Bicycle sign.png SHIGA The bottom text. The shape in the "O"-like letter is reminiscent to Lake Biwa in Japan. "Shiga" is the name of the prefecture where Lake Biwa is located.
DANGER S2 OE C03 final checkpoint.jpg DANGER The word is repeated many times and is written in a cartoonish font.
Deep Cut logo.png Deep Cut's logo consists of a み mi character repeated three times. This can be read as "three mi", or surimi - part of Deep Cut's Japanese name, Surimi Union.
Anarchy Splatcast wordmark.png すりみれんごう A logo shown during the Anarchy Splatcast. It mimics すりみれんごう surimi rengō, Deep Cut's full Japanese name written in Hiragana.
Bankalive poster.jpg すりみ
2069.40.09
BANKALIVE
Nintendo Live at Tokyo
Poster for the Deep Cut Concert at Nintendo Live 2022. The logo in the top right of the poster mimics すりみ surimi.
The date is written in oval numbers, but does not match the date on which the event is planned (being 2022.10.08).
The text below the event's name and date is written in serif script. All lines other than the largest are gibberish.
Many of the logos displayed along the bottom of the poster are explained elsewhere on this page.
RotM Inkling Storage Unit.jpg おるたな Seen in Landfill Dreamland.

The hiragana reads "Alterna".

Fuka2.jpg ふうか Seen in The Pursuit of the Precious and nearby areas around the boss kettle.

Shiver, or フウカ in Japanese hiragana. This resembles senjafuda.

Utsuho.jpg ウツホ Seen in The Future Stares Back and nearby areas around the boss kettle.

Frye, or ウツホ in Japanese katakana.

Manta.jpg マんタ Seen in The Obscurest Chiaroscurist and nearby areas around the boss kettle.

Big Man, or マンタロー in Japanese hiragana and katakana.

S3 Band Damp Socks feat. Off the Hook.png Busy Vacation The Japanese name of Damp Socks
S3 recon information sign.png さんぽ案内所 Text found on the signs by the Recon Guide in. Translates to "recon information center".
Octo Expansion police tape.jpg POLICE A section of blue and white tape found in the Deepsea Metro's stations.
Deepsea Metro station platform sign.jpg シンカい A sign found above the train in the Deepsea Metro's station platforms. It mimics "シンカい", which is "深海" in Japanese hiragana and katakana and translates to "deep sea".
BrinewaterCautionSign.jpg お足元ご注意-た- A sign found in Brinewater Springs. While it's unclear what the full sentence says, "足元ご注意" roughly translates to "Watch your step".
S3 Brinewater Springs temperature notice.png 注い

クサヤ温泉||A sign found in Brinewater Springs. "注い" is an alternate way of writing "注意", meaning "Notice" or "Caution" and "クサヤ温泉" is the Japanese name of Brinewater Springs.

S3 lobby boiler house logo.jpg BOILER HOUSE The logo found in Splatoon 3's lobby, seemingly for the company behind it.
S3 Splatsville squid detective sign.jpg 探偵 A sign found above Grizzco in Splatsville. The white text in the red box on the left resembles "探偵", meaning "detective".
S3 Brinewater Springs vending machine child.jpg ンisiん A design found on the vending machines in the background of Brinewater Springs, with the mimicked text being found on the bottom right. "ンisiん" ("nisin" when fully romanized) is the Japanese word for Pacific Herring.
S3 Sticker ERL poster.png RECORDZ Enperry's logo followed by text mimicking the word "records", found in Mahi-Mahi Resort.
S3 Mr. Coco Render.png カァNiみSO
RECORDZ
Text on Mr. Coco's shirt. "カァNiみSO" means "crab miso".
S3 Naut Couture sign.png Gnarly The text on the logo for Naut Couture that resembles cursive.
Starfish Mainstage Speaker DJ DJ.jpg
Alterna Speaker DJ DJ.png
DJ DJ Writing seen on loudspeakers in Starfish Mainstage, as well as ones that can be found next to Gold Records around Alterna. While it resembles Alterna script, the characters are identical to the first two characters seen in ads of the "DJ Octopus" company, which first appeared in Splatoon 2. As the other characters in the "DJ Octopus" ads do not resemble Alterna script, the similarity is likely coincidental.

Gear and weapon brands

Image Meaning Additional Information
Enperry Logo.png 大王イカ The Enperry brand logo loosely resembles 大王イカ daiō-ika, the Japanese name for the giant squid.
Forge vector.png Forリマ The Forge brand logo resembles the letters "Forリマ", which is similar to the brand's name in Japanese, フォーリマ Fōrima. It also resembles the French and German name for the brand, "Focus".
Splashmob vector.png GiMN The Splash Mob brand logo resembles the letters "GiMN", which is similar to the brand's name in Japanese, ジモン Jimon. Interestingly, Gimn is a Russian word, meaning "Anthem", "Canticle", "Carol" or "Hymn".
Tentatek.png AROME The Tentatek logo text resembles the letters "AROME", which is the brand's name in Japanese, アロメ Arome.
S3 Brand Toni Kensa.png
t
K
The Toni Kensa brand logo resembles a hiragana character た (ta) which is an alternate writing of the first two letters of the brand's Japanese name タタキケンサキ Tataki Kensaki. The logo also appears to be a combination of Latin letters "t" and "K", the initials of Toni Kensa in most languages.
S3 Brand Zekko.png EZKO The Zekko brand logo uses the letters "EZKO", which is the brand's name in French, Italian, Spanish, and a shortened form of the Japanese name Ezokko (person from Ezo).
Zink vector.png IArOIC The Zink brand logo resembles the letters "IArOIC", which vaguely resembles the brand's name in Japanese, アイロニック Aironikku ("ironic").
S Brand Ammo Knights.png KnrI ARMS The "Ammo Knights" weapon brand logo resembles the letters "KnrI ARMS", which vaguely resembles the brand's name in Japanese, カンブリアームズ Kanburi Āmuzu.
S Brand Neo.png
S2 Brand Neo.png
ツカオ電気
ツカオ
Logos of the "Neo" weapon brand, which seems to be associated with construction and appliances. The first three letters appear to be an anagram of カツオ katsuo, meaning "skipjack tuna" (or "bonito"), while the last two letters (which were removed in the logo used since Splatoon 2) resemble 電気 denki, meaning "electricity".

Octarian language

The Octarians have a language different to that of the Inklings. Its written form is sometimes represented with square script, but this is not consistent. Its spoken form is represented by Octolings with sounds similar to those uttered by Inklings to represent their language. Other Octarians, such as Octotroopers, Octosnipers, and Octocommanders, instead make groaning sounds that bear some resemblance to the noises Inklings and Octolings make when they take damage or are splatted.

In Japanese Splatoon media, Inkling language is represented through regular Japanese, while Octarian speech is written entirely in katakana. In Japanese media, a character's dialogue being written with katakana can imply a foreign accent or language of some sort. When Callie is brainwashed, her speech is entirely in katakana, showing that she may be speaking Octarian. Marina occasionally slips into speaking Octarian, detailed in The Art of Splatoon 2. Off the Hook's songs are bilingual, with both Pearl and Marina singing portions in Octarian. They mostly sing in their respective languages, but there are times when Pearl sings with Marina in Octarian, even if her lyrics are still written in hiragana. An Inkling's experience listening to them has been compared to Japanese people listening to English-language songs without an understanding of the language, but an appreciation of the melody.[6]

When using the Octoling amiibo in Splatoon 2, their dialogue is written with broken grammar, implying that they do not speak the Inkling language natively. However, in Splatoon 3, this is no longer the case, as they now speak with correct grammar.

Gallery

Trivia

  • While an official website for Splatoon 2 referred to the language as "Inkling",[1] a later tweet referring to the languages as "Inkling" and "Octoling" got taken down before being reposted to remove the explicit mentions.[7]

Names in other languages

Language Name Meaning
Japan Japanese イカ語
Ika Go
Squid Language
Netherlands Dutch Taal van de Inklings[8] Language of the Inklings
France French (NOE) Inkling[9] Inkling
Germany German Sprache der Inklinge[10] Language of the Inklings
Italy Italian Lingua degli Inkling[11] Language of the Inkling
Russia Russian Язык инклингов[12]
Yazyk inklingov
Inkling language
Spain Spanish (NOE) Lenguaje inkling[13] Inkling language
Portugal Portuguese Língua Inkling[14] Inkling language

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Nintendo Jelfonzo - Play Nintendo
  2. Nintendo https://www.nintendo.co.uk/News/2017/July/Update-from-the-Squid-Research-Lab-Let-s-explore-the-Galleria-in-Inkopolis-Square-1244127.html
  3. YouTube Splatoon 2 - Live Concert at Nintendo Live 2019 - Nintendo Switch (via closed captioning)
  4. Mynavi: 「Splatoon(スプラトゥーン)」のイカしたデザインのひみつ(後編) (3) 解読不可能? イカ語のひみつに迫る | マイナビニュース (Splatoon developer interview)
  5. 5.0 5.1 YouTube The Mysterious Gang Leader of Piranha Pit
  6. Famitsu: イイダのパートはイカと異なる言語、サーモンランはシャケを鼓舞する変拍子。『スプラトゥーン2』サウンドに迫る、サントラインタビュー (Splatoon 2 composer interview)
  7. Twitter@SplatoonNA on Twitter: Deleted Jelonzo introduction, Twitter @SplatoonNA on Twitter: Corrected Jelonzo introduction
  8. Nintendo Update van het Laboratorium voor Inktvisonderzoek: laten we de winkels op Inkopolisplein verkennen
  9. Nintendo Dernières infos du laboratoire de recherche sur les calamars : intéressons-nous de plus près à la Branchie du square de Chromapolis.
  10. Nintendo Neuigkeiten vom Squid Research Lab: die Aquakaden im Inkopolis-Zentrum
  11. Nintendo Aggiornamento dallo Squid Research Lab: esploriamo il centro commerciale Le Pinne di piazza Coloropoli
  12. Nintendo Новый доклад из НИИ по изучению головоногих. Исследуем торговый мол на Инкопольской площади (archive on Wayback Machine)
  13. Nintendo Boletín de noticias del Centro de Investigación de Cefalópodos: investigamos la galería de la plaza de Cromópolis
  14. Nintendo Descobre a Galleria na Praça Inkopolis de Splatoon 2!