ウーパールーパー

Japanese

Etymology

A substitution for アホロートル (ahorōtoru, “axolotl”), which is homophonous with 阿呆老頭児 (aho rōtoru, literally “stupid old fart”). Coined as the name of a character promoting Nissin Foods' instant noodle brand UFO in 1985.[1]

Jackpot, the company that trademarked the term (which romanized it as Wuper Ruper), stated that Shiki Oriori, the character's creator, named it adapting a phrase in a “local language” of Mexico that means “messenger of love”.[2] Consequently, it is sometimes asserted to derive from Nahuatl for “messenger of love”.[3]

Pronunciation

  • (Tokyo) ウーパールーパー [ùúpáárúꜜùpàà] (Nakadaka – [5])[4]
  • IPA(key): [ɯ̟ːpa̠ːɾɯ̟ːpa̠ː]

Noun

ウーパールーパー • (ūpārūpā) 

  1. (informal) an axolotl, especially an albino one

Synonyms

Descendants

  • → Korean: 우파루파 (uparupa)

References

  1. ^ Akira Kojima (28 June 2021) “「ウーパールーパー」を覚えていますか　“昭和”に一世風靡した不思議な生き物、今もペットとして根強い人気”, in Kobe Shimbun‎[1] (in Japanese)
  2. ^ Jackpot (1985) ウーパールーパーのひみつ, Tokyo: Eichi Publishing, →ISBN
  3. ^ “〝愛の使者〟見に来て　ウーパールーパー、かにっこ館で展示”, in Shin Nihonkai Shimbun‎[2] (in Japanese), 9 February 2025
  4. ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2019), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Fourth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
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