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As above, is there a special reason why digimon names end in mon?

[This](http://withthewill.net/threads/8345-Why-Digimon-have-quot-Mon-quot-at-
the-end-of-their-names) thread says its for marketing but the guy also has the
theory of:

> Digimon are digital lifeforms, and are made up of computer data, right? As
> we know, every kind of data file has an extension, or file format, for
> example a Microsoft Word document has ".doc" as its extension, a web page
> has ".html" and an image has ".jpeg", ".png", ".gif" etc, so perhaps the
> same thing applies for Digimon.
>
> by _wildwing64_


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2019-01-09T09:24:54.980
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question
digimon
Why do digimon names end in 'mon'?


Digimon is like Pokemon where _**Pokemon**_ is short for _**Pocket Monsters**_
, that said _**Digimon**_ is short for _**Digital Monsters**_

this is visiable in most logos for Digimon

[![Digimon Adventure
1](https://i.stack.imgur.com/hv0YU.gif)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/hv0YU.gif)

[![Digimon Adventure
2](https://i.stack.imgur.com/eRtWY.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/eRtWY.png)

[![Another
Logo](https://i.stack.imgur.com/3j7gJ.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/3j7gJ.png)

Also in the first episode of the 4Kids dub of Digimon Adventure when the Digi-
destined come back together after finding their Digimon Partners the Digimon
says in unision ([after Bukamon jumps off Joe's
shoulder](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4fRE_OK48E&t=11m00s))

> **Bukamon** : we are.....
>
> **All** : Digimon! Digital Monsters


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answer


Just like what [Memor-X](https://anime.stackexchange.com/users/1587/memor-x)
answered:

> Digimon is like Pokemon where Pokemon is short for Pocket Monsters, that
> said **Digimon** is short for **Digital Monsters**

The suffix **-mon** means monster as what the title also means.

**Name**

> The name of a Digimon species is usually based on its form, and **may be a
> pun**. For example, **Hyokomon** 's name and design are derived from the
> Japanese onomatopoeia for unsteady steps (「ひょこひょこ」 "Hyokohyoko"?), as well
> as the Chick (Gallus gallus domesticus) (雛 Hiyoko?). The species's name
> always ends in **" -mon"**.
>
> Digimon generally **do not have individual names** , and are instead simply
> referred to by the name of their species. So the word "Agumon", depending on
> the context it's used in, can either refer to the Digimon species or a
> single individual Digimon of that species. The Centarumon in Digimon
> Adventure and the Centarumon in Digimon Frontier share the same name because
> they are of the same species. However, they are not the same individual, and
> are different in appearance and voice.

Source: [Digimon (creature)
Wikia](http://digimon.wikia.com/wiki/Digimon_\(creature\))

**Digital Lifeforms**

As for the data file extension theory, here is a _possible_ connection.
Digimon have different attributes. We know that Digimon are digital lifeforms
residing in the digital world.

From [Wikia](http://digimon.wikia.com/wiki/Digimon_\(creature\)):

> Attribute
>
> Most Digimon species are classified into five attributes— **Data, Vaccine,
> Virus, Free, and Variable**. Most Digimon fall into the first three
> categories, with "Free" being rarer and "Variable" exclusive to Hybrid
> Digimon. Some Digimon either have their attributed by unidentified or lack
> them entirely.
>
> The main three attributes have a Rock, Paper, Scissors arrangement where
> Virus is generally advantaged against Data, Data is advantaged against
> Vaccine and Vaccine is advantaged against Virus. However, these attributes
> don't play a very important role in Digimon fights. A Digimon can generally
> defeat an opponent regardless of attribute if it is stronger than the
> opponent in Digivolution level and experience.

According to the thread you linked in
[withthewill](http://withthewill.net/threads/8345-Why-Digimon-have-quot-Mon-
quot-at-the-end-of-their-names):

> Digimon are digital lifeforms, and **are made up of computer data** , right?
> As we know, every kind of data file has an extension, or file format, for
> example a Microsoft Word document has ".doc" as its extension, a web page
> has ".html" and an image has ".jpeg", ".png", ".gif" etc, so perhaps the
> same thing applies for Digimon.
>
> Perhaps there is a file for every different Digimon (as in entire species,
> rather than singular Digimon), with that file format being ".mon", for
> example, the Agumon species filename would be "Agu.mon".

This theory is explained by Kira the Wanderer:

> I think it is what makes the most logic, **something that is not directly
> explained because it requires you to think**. "Dra" always refers to
> "dragon", "devi" to "devil", "Vam" to "Vampire, "De" to "demon" and so on.
> All the others have names that are a reference to something, whether it be a
> noise (Like Koromon) or otherwise. A file type does sound best and makes
> sense.

and ukyouluvr's explanation:

> **Grani from Tamers** was very obviously created as some kind of program. I
> wanna say that there was even a scene at some point that showed a computer
> display that read ' **Grani.exe** '.

Zero ARMS: [Grani](http://digimon.wikia.com/wiki/Grani) is a [ZERO-
ARMS](http://digimon.wikia.com/wiki/ZERO-ARMS) whose name and design are
derived from the mythological Grani, the steed of the hero Sigurd. It serves
as a flying mount for Gallantmon.

> If you want to explore the theory further, that might be a good place to
> start looking.
>
> It could imply what **non-digimon digital lifeforms** are classified as. If
> **they are .exe filetypes** , then it would imply to me that non-digimon
> digital lifeforms are literally part of the program of the Digital World,
> making them something akin to forces of nature like Gravity. It fits well
> with the idea of Gennai & the Digi-gnomes. The D-Reaper and Grani were also
> created by programmers, and specifically referred to as 'programs' in the
> anime.

AngelosTheHero posted...

> It originated from Tamagotchi, which Digimon is born from; every
> Tamagotchi's name ends in -tchi, a cutesy Japanese suffix. While -mon is not
> a suffix, they followed the same convention of having something at the end
> of every creature's name.

That explains it, but still doesn't really justify the choice. Everyone
realizes they're "Digital monsters"; not every creature needs a label. Oh
well, at least it's fun. Also this might be due to making it more unique that
in a way when you say a name like **Agumon** or **Greymon** anyone who hears
it wouldn't say " _Those are Digimons, right?_ " but would think exactly that
" _Those are Digimons_ " due to the -mon suffix.

Furthermore, all Digimon names have an **etymology/meaning**. For example,
Birdramon means "Bird Dragon Monster". It also helps make non-Digimon digital
entities seem even more alien/bizarre to the setting. For example, Eaters feel
"wrong" because they are not even Digimon but an entire different
thing/monster. If Digimon didn't have the -mon suffix, the effect would be
lost and Eater would be "just another Digimon".

**PS**

As for my previous comment. It is just stated that the OP is asking about why
the names of Digimon ended with -mon. The answer of Memor-X is **correct** ,
it's just that saying that Digimon is like Pokemon is somewhat not right. We
know that Digimon names end with -mon if we're talking about the names, and
for Pokemon, they don't. Its just because that Digimon is named with -mon at
the end because it **may be a pun** invented by its creator.

**Trivia about Pokémon:**

At first, it is titled _Pocket Monsters_. However they shortened it to
**Pokémon** for a catchier name and also because the term Pocket Monsters was
already coined in the U.S.

> Pokémon is short for the original Japanese title of Pocket Monsters.
>
> The name Pokémon is the romanized contraction of the Japanese brand Pocket
> Monsters (ポケットモンスター Poketto Monsutā?), as such contractions are very common
> in Japan.

source: [Wikipedia-Pokemon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon)


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