Understand Japanese Pokémon Card Labels

Understanding Japanese Pokémon card labels can be a great tool to use when searching for cards and products (especially when you don't understand the language). We organize all of our cards using the set symbols and numbers printed on the cards to make sorting and searching through our site as easy as possible. 

Looking at the bottom left corner of the card, you can see a variety of different symbols, text, and numbers each describing something about the card.

The Set Symbol is the first key indicator we want to look at:

• This symbol is in the black box on the far left of the card.
• It typically begins with letters which indicates the era the card belongs to; such as "SV" for Scarlet & Violet or "S" for Sword & Shield. 
• These letters are followed by a number which represents the Set or Expansion pack from that era.
• The Expansion packs are numbered in chronological order based on the release date; for example the first sets released for Sword & Shield are labeled S1 and the last set is labeled S12.  
• The number is followed by another letter which is used to distinguish between multiple sets that release around the same time. For example SV1S (Pokémon Scarlet ex), SV1V (Pokémon Violet ex), and SV1a (Triplet Beat) were all released around the same time, so they have the same number label followed by a unique letter to distinguish them from one another. Usually sets that end with the letter "a" are the main set or "high class set" for that time period.

The Card Number is the second indicator we use to label and search for cards:

• The card number indicates the number of cards included in the main set, and what number the current card is. 
• Typically the format is "Card Number"/"Total Number of Cards in the Set" (ex. 024/066).
• A lot of modern sets have more cards than the number of cards listed in the main set, and this is due to special rarity cards not being included in the main set count. If you look at the card in the image above, the set number is 076/066 - and this is because it is an Art Rare so it is not part of the main set count.
• Typically once you go past the set limit; the higher the card number, the more rare the card is going to be. So when you are searching for the rarest cards from a set, a good tip is to Sort from Z-A to see the rarest cards first. 

The Rarity Symbol is the third and last indicator we want to look at:

• The rarity symbol designates what type of rarity a card is.
• In the main set the cards are typically C: Common, U: Uncommon, R: Rare, RR: Double Rare, & ACE: Ace Spec rarity. 
• As the card number surpasses the count for the main set, you begin to see the more sought after card rarities such as:
  • SR: Super Rare - Typically a flashy version of the most important Pokémon & Trainers featured in a set with a fully holo textured surface. 
  • AR: Art Rare - The artistic masterpieces that keep making us spend more money on cards, these are full-art holographic cards with no texture. 
  • SAR: Special Art Rare - These are usually the most expensive and most sought after modern cards that we love and our wallets hate, ie Moonbreon. These cards feature a full-artwork with a beautiful textured foil detailing embedded into the art. 
  • UR: Ultra Rare - These are things like your Gold foil cards and are usually some of the hardest chase cards to pull  in a set. 
    
  • Other unique rarities may appear from time to time such as S: Shiny Rare, CHR: Character Rare, HR: Hyper Rare (Rainbows), ect.

On top of all of this information we can see the name of the illustrator, which is not useful when searching for cards, but can help you to find and appreciate cards from artists you love or discover new artists as the TCG continues to grow. 

With this information you can now search for cards using the Set Symbol, followed by the Card Number, and the Rarity Symbol and you should never have trouble with finding cards again!