The Legend of Zelda/ja-en
This game was originally known in Japanese as 『THE HYRULE FANTASY ゼルダの伝説』 when released on the Famicom Disk System in 1986, and then as 『THE HYRULE FANTASY ゼルダの伝説１』 (note the explicit "1" added to the name) when it was re-released in Japan on the Famicom cartridge system in 1994.
Due to size restraints in the original game format, all Japanese text is in katakana only (not counting the title screen graphic of course). Kanji and hiragana versions of words may be included below for educational purposes.
Title screen
Should include a graphic of this... it shows the words "THE HYRULE FANTASY" in small print to the upper left of ゼルダの伝説１ in large print, with the 1 shown extra large to the right (the 1 isn't included in the original Japanese (FDS) or North American (NES) releases). The North American release has the words "THE LEGEND OF" in place of "THE HYRULE FANTASY" and the word "ZELDA" in place of "ゼルダの伝説" (which by itself in Japanese literally means the full "Legend of Zelda").
Instead of "PUSH START BUTTON", the original Japanese FDS version reads: Bメンヲ セットシテクダサイ = Please switch to Side B
Items
These are listed under the heading of "ALL OF TREASURES" and scroll by after the intro above. (The kanji are not used in the game.) Changed to "ALL TREASURES" in later versions of the game.
| Kanji | Kana | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ハート | Heart | ||
| 命の器 | イノチ ノ ウツワ | Container Heart | I believe this is the only Zelda game to use the name "Container Heart". All other Zelda games appear to use the name "Heart Container". The name in Japanese literally means "Container of Life". |
| 妖精 | ヨウセイ | Fairy | |
| 時計 | トケイ | Clock | |
| ルピー | Rupy | Changed to "Rupee" in later versions of the game. | |
| ５ ルピー | 5 Rupies | Changed to "5 Rupees" in later versions of the game. | |
| 命の水 青 | イノチノミズ アオ | Life Potion | Lit: Life Water Blue |
| 命の水 赤 | イノチノミズ アカ | 2nd Potion | Lit: Life Water Red |
| 手紙 | テガミ | Letter | |
| 餌 | エサ | Food | More specifically, animal food or bait. Human food is 食べ物 (たべもの). |
| ソード | Sword | ||
| ホワイト ソード | White Sword | ||
| マジカル ソード | Magical Sword | ||
| マジカル シールド | Magical Shield | ||
| ブーメラン | Boomerang | ||
| マジカル ブーメラン | Magical Boomerang | ||
| 爆弾 | バクダン | Bomb | |
| 弓 | ユミ | Bow | |
| 矢 | ヤ | Arrow | |
| 銀の矢 | ギン ノ ヤ | Silver Arrow | |
| 蝋燭 青 | ロウソク アオ | Blue Candle | |
| 蝋燭 赤 | ロウソク アカ | Red Candle | |
| 指輪 青 | ユビワ アオ | Blue Ring | |
| 指輪 赤 | ユビワ アカ | Red Ring | |
| パワー ブレスレット | Power Bracelet | ||
| 笛 | フエ | Recorder | |
| 筏 | イカダ | Raft | |
| 梯子 | ハシゴ | Ladder | |
| マジカル ロッド | Magical Rod | ||
| バイブル | Book of Magic | The English name of this in the original Famicom Disk System version of the game was "Bible", and the katakana here still says the same thing even though the English version was changed to "Book of Magic" for the North American release and later Japanese Famicom cartridge release (which is what we're working from). | |
| キー | Key | ||
| マジカル キー | Magical Key | ||
| 地図 | チズ | Map | |
| コンパス | Compass | ||
| 隠された 知恵の ”トライフォース” | カクサレタ チエノ ”トライフォース” | Triforce | Lit: Hidden Triforce of Wisdom |
After showing these, Link holds up a note saying:
Character creation and loading screens
| Japanese | Meaning |
|---|---|
| オマチクダサイ | Please wait |
| セレクトシテクダサイ | Please select |
| ナマエ トウロク | Name registration |
| トウロク オワル | End registration |
Inventory screen
| Japanese | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Bボタンデ ツカウ タカラ | Treasure that can be used with the B button |
| トライフォース | Triforce |
Continue / Save / Retry screen
If you run out of hearts while playing, you'll be presented with the following 3 options:
- ツヅケル -CONTINUE-
- オワル -SAVE-
- ヤリナオス -RETRY-
Choosing "ツヅケル -CONTINUE-" will either put you back at the very start of the overworld if you're not in a dungeon, or back at the starting room of a dungeon if you died inside one, with only 3 hearts full.
The option "ヤリナオス -RETRY-" will quit the game without saving.
Dialogue
Starting Cave - Old Man with Sword
- 一人 literally means "one person". However, when 一人で is used it has a strong connotation of "alone". In this context it can also be spelled 独り. 自分で has a similar but distinct connotation.
Old Man with White Sword and Magical Sword
Old Man - Warp Zones
- ゆく is just a variant of いく that is particularly associated with old codgers.
Old Man - Secret Cave
Old Man - Money-Making Game
- かい is a variant of the question marker typically used by men. It is gentler and friendlier than using か, which tends to be abrupt when used with the plain form.
Old Man - Secret Caves
- In other words: pay up!
Old Man with Letter
Old Woman
Old Woman - Medicine Shops
- This can be parsed one of two ways: "Buy some medicine and go" (more naturally expressed as "Take some medicine with you"), or "Go, [being in a state of] having bought some medicine." This latter parsing is where the idea of "before" comes from in our chosen translation.
Old Woman - Under Waterfall / Cave, South of the Lost Woods
- In an earlier version of this translation, we did not have the context of this sentence and misinterpeted ただでは as a phrase meaning "I will get my revenge", because that's the EDICT entry for that phrase. Remember: it pays to pay attention to context!
Old Woman - Under Waterfall / Cave, South of the Lost Woods, when not given enough money
Old Woman - Under Waterfall, when paid the right amount
- Here doubling of 上へ merely emphasizes it; an idiomatic translation would be something like "way up".
Old Woman - Cave, South of the Lost Woods, when paid the right amount
Old Woman - Under Waterfall / Cave, South of the Lost Woods, when given too much money
Shopkeeper
- This man is speaking Kansai-ben. This is probably invoking at least one of several stereotypes of people from Osaka (the most well-known subdialect of Kansai): they tend to be perceived as rude, loudmouthed, boisterous, and mercantilistic. Kansai-ben speakers also tend to be perceived as funny, because many comedians are from Kansai. So an Osakan (or the Hyrule equivalent) rudely demanding that you buy something is probably funny for the same reason the Rich Texan Guy from The Simpsons is funny.
- In Standard Japanese, the te form of 買う (かう) is かって. In Kansai-ben, 買う is still かう, but its te form becomes こうて.
- なんか is short for 何か.
- や here is Kansai-ben for よ.
Shopkeeper - Secret Shops
- でっせ is Kansai-ben for ですよ.
Old Man - Secret Caves, Red Potion or Life Container
- 方 here means to select among two options.
Moblin with Rupees - Secret Caves
- "Moblins"(モリブリン) are common enemies in the game, but if you find their secret caves they'll give you money.
Hungry Moblin - Level 7, 1st Quest / Level 3 and 8, 2nd Quest
Old Man - Level 1, 1st Quest
Old Man - Level 2, 1st Quest
- "Dodongo" is the boss of the dungeon.
Old Man - Level 3, 1st Quest
Old Man - Level 4, 1st Quest
Old Man - Level 5, 1st Quest
- This is a hint to use the Famicom's microphone feature, which was absent on the NES.
Old Man - Level 5, 1st Quest
- "Digdogger" is the boss of the dungeon.
Old Man - Level 5 and 7, 1st Quest / Level 4 and 8, 2nd Quest
Old Man - Level 4, 2nd Quest
Old Man - Level 4 and 7, 2nd Quest
- か here indicates a choice - thing A or thing B.
- The ～てゆく here indicates a sequence of actions: leave your money or life, then go.
- ("Life" in this sentence refers to "Life Container".)
Old Man - Level 6, 1st Quest
- 住まぬ is the classical form of 住まない.
Old Man - Level 6, 1st Quest
- "Gohma" is the boss of the dungeon.
Old Man - Level 6, 2nd Quest
Old Man - Level 7, 1st Quest
- A clue for the location of Level 9 aka "Death". In the NES version, the old man gives you this clue in Level 8 instead.
Old Man - Level 8, 1st Quest
Old Man - Level 8, 1st Quest
- Referring to the "Magical Key" which head is shaped like a lion head. (The dungeon's name in the manual is "Lion").
Old Man - Level 9, both Quests
持たぬ = 持たない
Old Man - Level 9, 1st Quest
- TODO — What could this be referring to?
Old Man - Level 9, both Quests
Old Man - Level 9, 1st Quest
Ending
ハイラル ノ エイユウデス
コレデ コノ モノガタリ ハ オワリデス
2nd Quest only
- The number "1" in the title here seems to have been a little teaser for at the time unreleased sequel as the original FDS version also displays this number in the text.
Invitation to Second Quest
スタートボタン ヲ オシテクダサイ
