What Is Goku Called in China? Sun Wukong / Wu Kong

In Chinese, the Dragon Ball protagonist Goku is called Sun Wukong (孙悟空)—the same name as the legendary Monkey King from the 16th-century classic Journey to the West (Xiyouji).

Name Breakdown

• 孙 (Sūn) – Surname; "grandson" or "descendant"
• 悟 (Wù) – "Awakened," "enlightened," "comprehend"
• 空 (Kōng) – "Empty," "void," "sky," "emptiness" (Buddhist concept: śūnyatā)

Sun Wukong ≈ "Descendant Awakened to Emptiness" or "Monkey Awakened to Void."

Why This Name?

Akira Toriyama based Dragon Ball loosely on Journey to the West. The original Sun Wukong:

• Born from a stone egg on Flower-Fruit Mountain
• Gained immortality, 72 transformations, cloud somersault (108,000 li/leap)
• Weapon: Ruyi Jingu Bang (size-changing staff)
• Rebelled against Heaven; imprisoned under Five Elements Mountain 500 years
• Freed to protect Monk Tang Sanzang on pilgrimage to India for sutras
• Achieved Buddhahood: "Victorious Fighting Buddha"

Goku mirrors this arc: Saiyan (alien) instead of stone monkey; Super Saiyan ≈ Buddhahood; Nimbus cloud = somersault cloud; Power Pole = Ruyi Jingu Bang; journey to collect Dragon Balls = pilgrimage.

Regional Variants

• Mainland China: 孙悟空 (Sūn Wùkōng)
• Taiwan/Hong Kong: 孫悟空 (Sun Wukong / Syun Ng-hung)
• Japanese: 孫悟空 (Son Gokū) — "Goku" is the Japanese on'yomi reading of 悟空
• Korean: 손오공 (Son Ogong)
• Vietnamese: Tôn Ngộ Không

So "Goku" is the Japanese reading of "Wukong." The Chinese name is the source.