--- title: "Unown (#0201): Stats, Weaknesses, Moves & Lore | pokee.si" url: "https://pokee.si/pokemon/unown" description: "Unown (#0201): Psychic-type Symbol Pokémon from Johto. Base stat total 336. Abilities: Levitate. Stats, matchups, evolutions, moves, every Pokédex entry and lore on pokee.si." last_updated: "2026-10-21" publisher: "pokee.si: a Pokédex for families (unofficial fan site)" last_checked: "2026-10-19" --- #0201 · Johto · Generation 2 # Unown Symbol Pokémon · Psychic-type ![Unown official artwork](https://pokee.si/img/art/201.webp) Unown is a [Psychic](https://pokee.si/types/psychic)-type Pokémon, the Symbol Pokémon, number 201 (#0201) in the National Pokédex. It was introduced in Generation 2 and comes from the [Johto](https://pokee.si/guide/regions/johto) region. It is 0.5 m tall and weighs 5 kg. Unown is the Symbol Pokémon: a flat black eye in 28 different shapes, and the first Pokémon in the games to have more than one form. The Pokédex says one alone does nothing, but a group is said to produce a strange power. ## How to pronounce Unown Unown is pronounced **un-OHN**. The capital letters show the stressed syllable. Listen to Unown said out loud: [Listen](https://pokee.si/audio/names/201.mp3) In Japanese it is アンノーン (Unknown). Hear every other name on the [Pokémon pronunciation guide](https://pokee.si/pronounce). ## Lore ### Biology Unown is a thin, flat, black body shaped like an eye, whose limbs bend into letter and punctuation shapes. It has 28 forms: the 26 Latin letters, whose eyes are fully open, and ! and ?, whose eyes are half closed and which arrived in Generation III. It is 0.5 m (1'08") tall and weighs 5 kg (11 lbs). The Pokédex says its shapes look like ancient writing, and nobody knows whether the writing or the Unown came first. ### Behaviour Unown is shy and rarely leaves its own dimension. In our world it tends to stick to walls like carved writing or to orbit other Unown, usually in ruins. Sources disagree on whether it talks to other Unown by radio waves or by telepathy. In Legends: Arceus its Pokédex author notes the forms resemble writing from other lands, though nobody takes the idea seriously. ### Habitat Its Pokédex habitat is rare. It is found in ancient ruins, and it is not available in Scarlet and Violet or Legends: Z-A. ### Powers Its only Ability is Levitate, and in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon its whole move list is Hidden Power. Its shape has no effect on its base stats, which are 72 in Attack and Special Attack and 48 everywhere else. ### Name origin Unown comes from the English word 'unknown'. Its Japanese name, Unknown (アンノーン), is the same word written in katakana. ### Design inspiration Ken Sugimori designed Unown, wanting a more surreal Pokémon. Its forms are eyes crossed with warped Latin letters, and Bulbapedia also floats the Siddham and Brahmi scripts, which have marked the graves of notable Buddhist figures in Japan, as a possible influence. That is a fan reading. ### In the games Unown's best-known home is the Ruins of Alph in Gold and Silver, where solving the puzzles brings out different forms; it returns in Solaceon Ruins in Sinnoh and the Tanoby Chambers in FireRed and LeafGreen. In Legends: Arceus all 28 forms can be found after completing the Unown Research Notes. ### In the anime Unown created the illusions that drive the film 'Spell of the Unown: Entei'. In 'Address Unown!' an Unown G tumbled out of the Unown Dimension and its mind merged with Ash's Larvitar. ### Fun facts - The ? and ! forms arrived with Ruby and Sapphire, yet FireRed and LeafGreen were where players could first actually catch them. - In Gold, Silver and Crystal a Shiny Unown can only ever be an I or a V. - Its two official artworks are a G for Gold and Silver and an F for FireRed and LeafGreen onwards, which may allude to Game Freak. - No other Pokémon adds up to Unown's base stat total of 336. Sources: [Bulbapedia: Unown (Pokémon)](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Unown_(Pok%C3%A9mon)) · [Serebii: Unown (Sword/Shield Pokédex layout; lists Brilliant Diamond and Legends: Arceus locations, as Unown is not in Sword and Shield)](https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-swsh/unown/) ## Base stats - HP: **48** - Attack: **72** - Defense: **48** - Sp. Atk: **72** - Sp. Def: **48** - Speed: **48** Unown’s base stat total is **336**. Its highest stat is Attack and Sp. Atk. ## Type matchups ### What is Unown weak to? Unown takes extra damage from [Bug](https://pokee.si/types/bug) (2×), [Ghost](https://pokee.si/types/ghost) (2×), [Dark](https://pokee.si/types/dark) (2×) moves. It resists [Fighting](https://pokee.si/types/fighting) (½×), [Psychic](https://pokee.si/types/psychic) (½×). ## Evolution Unown does not evolve, and it does not evolve from any other Pokémon. ## Abilities - [Levitate](https://pokee.si/abilities/levitate): Evades Ground moves. ## Moves ### Moves Unown learns by level up in Ultra Sun / Ultra Moon | Level | Move | Type | Category | Power | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | [Hidden Power](https://pokee.si/moves/hidden-power) | Normal | Special | 60 | ### TM moves (1) Unown can learn 1 move from TMs in Ultra Sun / Ultra Moon: [Hidden Power](https://pokee.si/moves/hidden-power). ## Breeding & training - Gender: genderless. - Egg groups: Undiscovered. - Egg cycles: 40 (steps to hatch, Scarlet/Violet: 5,120). - Catch rate: 225 out of 255. - Base friendship (Gen 8 onward): 50. - Growth rate: Medium (1,000,000 experience points to reach level 100). - Defeating it gives 1 Attack and 1 Sp. Atk effort values. - Base experience yield: 118. ## Pokédex entries It is hard to believe these strangely shaped Pokémon are truly living creatures. I've pointed out that the species' many forms resemble writing from other lands; no one will take me seriously. *(Legends: Arceus)* This Pokémon is shaped like ancient writing. It is a mystery as to which came first, the ancient writings or the various Unown. Research into this topic is ongoing but nothing is known. *(Ruby, Sapphire, Omega Ruby, Alpha Sapphire)* Shaped like ancient writing, it is a huge mystery whether language or Unown came first. *(Diamond, Y)* Its flat, thin body is always stuck on walls. Its shape appears to have some meaning. *(Silver, FireRed, SoulSilver, X)* When alone, nothing happens. However, if there are two or more, an odd power is said to emerge. *(Platinum, Black, White, Black 2, White 2)* Their shapes look like hieroglyphs on ancient tablets. It is said that the two are somehow related. *(Gold, LeafGreen, HeartGold)* ## Names around the world - **Japanese**: アンノーン - **Romaji**: Unknown - **French**: Zarbi - **German**: Icognito - **Spanish**: Unown - **Italian**: Unown - **Korean**: 안농 - **Chinese (Simplified)**: 未知图腾 - **Chinese (Traditional)**: 未知圖騰 ## Trivia - Taller than 19% of all Pokémon (0.5 m). - Heavier than 15% of all Pokémon (5 kg). - Base stat total 336, ranked #730 of 1,025. - One of 102 Psychic-type Pokémon (counting dual types). - One of 51 black Pokémon. - Number 50 of 100 Pokémon introduced in Generation 2 (Johto). - Can learn 1 different move in Ultra Sun / Ultra Moon. - Catch rate 225: about 29.4% per Poké Ball at full health. - Appears in 9 distinct Pokédex entries. ## Sources and fact-checking - Stats, types, abilities, moves, evolutions, forms and Pokédex entries: [PokéAPI](https://pokeapi.co) open game data. - Lore: written by pokee.si in our own words, researched from [Bulbapedia: Unown (Pokémon)](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Unown_(Pok%C3%A9mon)), [Serebii: Unown (Sword/Shield Pokédex layout; lists Brilliant Diamond and Legends: Arceus locations, as Unown is not in Sword and Shield)](https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-swsh/unown/). - Pronunciation (un-OHN): it follows how the English anime, games or official videos say it. **Last checked:** 19 October 2026. Every sentence of the lore was checked against Bulbapedia, Serebii and the game data. ## Explore [Psychic-type Pokémon](https://pokee.si/types/psychic) · [Johto region guide](https://pokee.si/guide/regions/johto) · [Levitate ability](https://pokee.si/abilities/levitate) · [Compare Unown](https://pokee.si/compare?ids=201) · [Full Pokédex](https://pokee.si/pokedex) · [Type chart](https://pokee.si/types) · [All moves](https://pokee.si/moves) ## Browse similar Pokémon [Gen 2 Psychic-type Pokémon](https://pokee.si/types/psychic/gen-2) · [Gen 2 Pokémon list](https://pokee.si/pokedex/gen-2) · [Black Pokémon list](https://pokee.si/colours/black) · [No Eggs Discovered egg group](https://pokee.si/egg-groups/undiscovered) · [Pokémon that start with U](https://pokee.si/pokemon-names/u) ← [Misdreavus](https://pokee.si/pokemon/misdreavus) | [Wobbuffet](https://pokee.si/pokemon/wobbuffet) → --- Source: https://pokee.si/pokemon/unown (HTML page). pokee.si is an unofficial fan site and is not affiliated with Nintendo, Creatures, GAME FREAK or The Pokémon Company. Pokémon and all related names and images are © their respective owners.