All full-blooded Saiyans' names are puns on various vegetable names.
Vegeta (Bejīta) - The first six letters of "vegetable".
Tarble (Tāburu) - Believed to be taken in English as 'Table', making this name another a pun on "vegetable", particularly its last five letters. Curiously, this would mean both Tarble and his brother Vegeta's names pun "vegetable".
Bardock (Bādakku) - A pun on a Japanese root vegetable, a "Burdock".
Kakarot (Kakarotto) - Goku's birth name, an interesting mutation of "carrot".
Goku (Gokū
- Kakarot's new name, given by Grandpa Gohan. It is a translation of the Chinese name Sun Wukong, the protagonist of Journey to the West, meaning "Monkey King". Kū is also Japanese for "sky".
Nappa - A Chinese term for greens in general, particular "cabbage".
Raditz (Radditsu) - Derives from "radish".
Broly (Burorī
- A pun on "broccoli".
Paragus (Paragas) - In Japanese, a loose translation of "asparagus" (in the English dub, the name uses the same spelling as the word, sans the 'as-').
Shugesh (Panbukin) - In Japanese, panbukin is a pun on "pumpkin".
Fasha (Seripa) - In Japanese, formed by rearranging the letters in "parsley".
Tora (Toma) - A shortening of "tomato".
Borgos (Totepo) - A pun on "potato".
Turles (Tāresu) - In Japanese, formed by rearranging the syllables in "lettuce".
Onio (From Neko Majin) - A pun on "onion".
Gohan - Japanese for "rice" or dishes; foods in general.
Goten - Ten is Chinese for "sky" but also means heaven/afterlife in Japanese.
Trunks (Torankusu) - Boy's underwear, gym shorts, also known as boxers.
Future Trunks (Torankusu) - Same as Trunks.
Bulla (Bura) - In Japanese, a women's bra.
Pan - A double pun deriving from the Pan of Greek mythology, but also meaning "bread" in Japanese and Spanish. Her name continues both her father's food-based name and her mother's religion-based name.
Chi-Chi - Japanese for "milk" and "father". Also a Japanese slang term for "breasts".
Master Roshi/Turtle Hermit (Muten Rōshi/Kame-Sen'nin) - In Japanese, kame means "turtle", and sennin are ascetic Taoist hermits of legend who are said to have magical powers, animal familiars, and extraordinarily long life. Thus, Kame-Sen'nin literally means "Turtle Hermit". Rōshi is Japanese for the Chinese word laoshi which means "teacher".
Jackie Chun - Master Roshi's alias, a pun on "Jackie Chan".
Yamcha (Yamucha) - A pun on dim sum in Chinese, a kind of appetizer, dumpling.
Krillin (Kuririn) - Kuri or kurumi is Japanese for "chestnut". This is Akira Toriyama's joke about Krillin's lack of hair. Rin (-lin) derives from the word "shaolin".
Marron - French word for "chestnut".
Maron - Likely meaning "chestnut", as with Marron.
Tien Shinhan (Tenshinhan) - Derives from the Chinese term tien chun fan, meaning "fried rice" or some kind of rice meal.
Chiaotzu (Chaozu) - Japanese translation of gyoza or jiaozi in Chinese, it means "sticker" or "dumpling".
Sharpener (Sharpner) - His name derives from a (pencil) "sharpener" accessory.
Erasa - Her name derives from an "eraser" accessory.
Launch (Ranchi) - In Japanese, named after the word "lunch".
Lime - Named after the fruit "lime".
Yajirobe (Yajirobē
- Named after a Japanese balancing toy, yajirobē.
Suno - Named after the word "snow".
Ranfan - The words ran and fuan are respectively Japanese for "lingerie" and "foundation garments".
Mercenary Tao - Named after the Vietnamese word for apple.
Members of Bulma's family have names that are puns on underclothing
Bulma (Buruma) - Means "bloomers". Also Japanese for short gym shorts worn by girls.
Dr. Brief - Pun on "briefs", a type of men's underwear.
Mrs. Brief - Pun on "briefs", a type of men's underwear.
King Piccolo (Pikkoro Daimao) - Named after a musical instrument, a piccolo, which is a small flute. Ironically, King Piccolo can't stand high-pitched or whistling sounds, like all other Namekians. In the Namek language, piccolo means "another world".
Piccolo (Pikkoro Ja.) - Same as King Piccolo.
Piano - Named after the musical instrument.
Tambourine (Tanbarin) - Named after the musical instrument.
Cymbal (Shinbaru) - Named after the musical instrument.
Drum (Doramu) - Named after the musical instrument.
Kami - Kami means "god" in Japanese.
Lord Slug - Named after "slug".
Dende - Derives from denden-mushi which is Japanese for "snail".
Cargo - A pun on the French word escargot, which means "snail".
Nail - Most likely a pun on "snail" (may also mean "nail", as in 'hammer and nails').
Bibidi - Is a part of a Disney (Cinderella) reference, "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo!".
Babidi - Is a part of a Disney (Cinderella) reference, "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo!".
Majin Buu - Is a part of a Disney (Cinderella) reference, "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo!".
Dabura (Dābura) - Derived from the famous incantation, "Abracadabra".
Pui Pui - originally Pocus in the manga, derived from the famous incantation, "Hocus Pocus".
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