The word 吉祥物 is formed by combining three characters: 吉, meaning "auspicious" or "lucky"; 祥, meaning "propitious" or "fortunate"; together 吉祥 signifies "good luck". The character 物 means "thing" or "object". Thus, 吉祥物 literally translates to "auspicious object", and in modern usage, it specifically denotes a mascot, serving as a symbol of good fortune.