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Dolphin, Revolution, NX…the list goes on and on. Nintendo loves giving their latest hardware codenames, be it to keep things secret or to have a bit of fun. There’s no doubt the Switch’s successor has a codename as well, and now some internet sleuths think they might have discovered what it is.

The cyber detectives over at Famiboards have been digging around to find out whatever they can about the Switch’s successor, and they’ve stumbled on what they believe to be the platform’s codename. That name happens to be “Muji,” and now everyone is trying to figure out what it means.

Over in Japan, there happens to be a retailer called Muji (they also have a U.S. branch), and they’re known for selling a variety of household goods, clothing and more. The name Muji is derived from the first part of Mujirushi Ryōhin, and translates as No-Brand Quality Goods. The Japanese translation for Muji is ‘plain,’ which doesn’t make for the most exciting of codenames.

If Muji actually is the codename for Switch’s successor, it looks like Nintendo didn’t research the word too well. When said in a Indo-European context, Muji roughly translates to ‘genitals’ or ‘pubic hair,’ which Nintendo obviously has no clue about!

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zcomuto

This isn't a codename. Muji means something along the lines of “brandless” or “untitled” in Japanese. It’s not a name, it’s a placeholder.

It's written 無字. Not the homophone 無地 (plain, as you say) or 無地 (unbranded goods, as in the store name), or 夢治 (A peaceful dream) all of which are said "muji".

無= Nothingness, used as a prefix to mean lacking or without.
字= characters, words, names.
Thus, "Without name".

wiired

10d ago

Let your muji show I guess!


joeshabadoo

10d ago

My other switch is a Muji


zcomuto

10d ago

This isn't a codename. Muji means something along the lines of “brandless” or “untitled” in Japanese. It’s not a name, it’s a placeholder.

It's written 無字. Not the homophone 無地 (plain, as you say) or 無地 (unbranded goods, as in the store name), or 夢治 (A peaceful dream) all of which are said "muji".

無= Nothingness, used as a prefix to mean lacking or without.
字= characters, words, names.
Thus, "Without name".


mauroh

10d ago

@zcomuto

That's where you are not seeing things! The next console wil be called the Nintendo [and then nothing, hence the "no-name" codename]
That's it, just the Nintendo! - you heard it here first folks


zcomuto

10d ago

@mauroh

You know I could get behind that as a name, kinda brilliant.


smasher89

10d ago

maybe it could hint towards a name like "nintendo" for the next console even, i know for kids thats already a used thing so with this codename it isnt unreasonable at least.


the_crimson_lure

10d ago

I think most people trying to debunk this don't understand how codenames are used.
Yes, the word "muji" can be used as "unbranded" (e.g. nameless), but that doesn't mean it's not the code name.

Dolphin means an aquatic mammal. A cafe is where you go to get coffee. The meaning of the word has no connection to its use as a codename. "Muji" may very well be the internal codename used inside Nintendo.

Just as how in English "No name" or "Untitled" can be used as codenames, not because there's no official name yet, but because that IS the codename in use.

Edited 2 times

No this would be like when we’ve seen things like “Legend of Zelda Switch [Tentative Title]” before knowing the actual name of a game and calling it the “codename”. It’s not the codename, it’s the literal absence of a codename.


the_crimson_lure

10d ago

@kuribo

I do understand what you're saying, but have you never been involved with a project that, at some point or another, used "Project: Untitled" as its actual codename? I have, because that was assigned when the project was young and undefined, but by the time the project was officially greenlit the codename stuck because by that point it was already the functioning codename in practice.

That could certainly be the case here. Just because the word itself *can* be used as a placeholder doesn't mean it can't be an actual codename. I could easily use "Placeholder" as an actual codename, as could Nintendo.

The only person who truly knows is the person who wrote the code. I don't believe Nintendo has ever used "muji" in code as a placeholder before.


enthropy

7d ago

@zcomuto

Homonyms in the Japanese language sure can be a bitch at times xD I mean how many things can, for example こうこう mean? =D Still love it though and has taken up a big chunk of my life.
Still only passed N4 so yeah, a long road ahead!