How to pick a good name for your pokémon region

Hi! I was wondering if you have any tricks to coming up with good region names? Nowadays pokemon region names have very differing names, but they're all pretty short and sweet, I guess.

Have you ever named a region? How did you decide on it?

Also if you have some good name ideas you're not planning on using, please share and inspire me somebody else! (:

Japanese-sounding words are usually a good start, and a general rule to stick with is 5 or 6 letters long. It can really limit what you have to work with a bit, but at least your name will likely sound like an official region.

Well, I just made up the qwertle region.
Saprailia, I used a Random name generator, and switched some letters around.

I tend to go with the languages that exist in the area I'm basing my geography and/or culture in. Right now I'm working with Peruvian/Andes mountain range influences so I'm looking to Quechua/Aymara/Spanish for naming places and the region itself. :)

I honestly just make up crap and hope it works with the region. Although Oceia was very much derived from Oceania since that's the region of the world it was inspired by. In general I do follow the short and sweet rule with Pokemon regions though. Also ending your name with a vowel or vowel-like sound can help since all the main series games bar Hoenn do.

gimmepie said:

I honestly just make up crap and hope it works with the region. Although Oceia was very much derived from Oceania since that's the region of the world it was inspired by. In general I do follow the short and sweet rule with Pokemon regions though. Also ending your name with a vowel or vowel-like sound can help since all the main series games bar Hoenn do.

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I guess this is how I've been trying to do it too haha. Arcanum was kind of special. I mean for it to be something the foreigners called it, while it's got a true name as well (8

I always thought Unova was a strange region name compared to the previous ones, but so is Kalos and Alola haha. I guess the names in general changed a bit when the regions stopped being based on Japan.

If you want a "traditional" name like Kanto, Johto, etc. then you're best off looking through a Japanese dictionary. That route can be tedious though. If you're lucky you can find a reasonable length and easily pronounceable word that relates to whatever theme you're going for. Like, if I had a theme of traveling I'd look up a few words related to that and see what comes up. I'm looking at an online dictionary (here) and a couple of pages in I find this:

踏破 【とうは】 (n,vs) (1) travelling on foot; traveling on foot; (2) travelling all over

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So I could name the region Touha. It fits the general pattern of 5-6 letters and at least one "o". It also sounds similar enough to other regions. It seems to "fit" in with them.

You could also take a theme word and play around with the letters and spelling. "Traveling" could be shortened to "Trava" for instance. Or you could translate the word and use that. "Travel" translates to Greek as "taxídi" so you could just go with that if you like it or play with the letters, maybe turning it into Taxdi, Taidi, Axidi, Taxida, or whatever.

Get a random word from a random language, and modify it a bit. That's how Kalos and Alola were created.

tbh I just named the Saann Region after "saan" which is a Filipino word for "where" lmao

Around 5 letters with at least one "Oh" sound are required. Then add the influence: Aloha for Alola.

Step 1: Open Google Translate
Step 2: choose a random word
Step 3: translate to a random language you don't know

Repeat step 2-3 until you find something you like.

If your region name does not mean "perfect" in whatever language, you are not doing it.

And yes Teleios is Greek for perfect, because it is what? Perfect.

You heard this here first.

I have four new regions which are the following:

• Iphiolon
• Zashil
• Reflye
• Ospar

Each region is based on something in the real world, past or present.
Iphiolon is simply based on the entire continent of Eurasia (Europe & Asia)
Reflye is based on the Ottoman Empire/Middle East.
Zashil is based on Canada/Scandanavia.
Ospar is based on South America.

To get my regions, I use Country Names on Fantasy Name Generator.

Currently I am working on the Pokedex for the Iphiolon region. I have the grass and fire starters created as well as their lines and the water starter made for Iphiolon but need to draw its evolutions and give pokedex entries. The water starter for Zashil is created and the fire starter for Reflye is planned in my head but not drawn yet. Starters for Ospar are done as is the professor for that region. I don't want to say too much but it is coming along okay I think which involves working on pokedex (these are entirely new pokedexes), professors, the regions themselves with researching on my part, etc. Professors for Reflye and Iphiolon have already been named.