Final Fantasy VII is no stranger to mispronounced names. For a while, fans of the 1997 role-playing game debated whether to call the flower girl “Aerith” or “Aeris.” While that one came down to a mistranslation—which Square Enix eventually cleared up by confirming “Aerith”—the company has proved coy on another character. How do you pronounced the name of Cait Sith? Now, we have an answer.
With Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on the horizon, Square Enix took to Twitter (aka X) to settle the debate. In the upcoming second part of the remake trilogy, Cait Sith’s name will be pronounced “Kate Sihth.”
We saw many of you were asking so we hope this helps! #FF7R pic.twitter.com/ZC4WAu9IpE
— FINAL FANTASY VII (@finalfantasyvii) October 3, 2023
In the original game, players would meet the fortune-telling robotic cat upon reaching the Gold Saucer. Since the 1997 classic lacked voiceover, players could decide how to pronounce “Cait Sith.” Many pronounced it phonetically as “Kate Sihth” as a result. Still, others have mentioned that the character derives from a Scottish folk creature with the pronunciation of “Ket Shee.”
Cait Sith received a speaking role in 2005’s film sequel Advent Children, notably performed with a Scottish brogue courtesy of Greg Ellis. Despite that reference to Scotland, the film doesn’t vocalize the character’s name. Since Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will feature the character more heavily (Cait Sith cameos in Remake), it makes sense to clear things up ahead of time.
Still, some are bummed that Cait Sith won’t have the pronunciation from Gaelic mythology. Others have pointed out that in Japanese, the character’s name is “Ketto Shi.” This appears closer to the folklore behind it. In myth, Cat Sith, or Cait Sidhe, is a creature that resembles a black cat with a white spot, similar to its video game counterpart. Unlike the Final Fantasy character, it would steal souls and presumably did not ride a giant Moogle.