# English names that sound funny in other languages **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 15, 2009, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-names-that-sound-funny-in-other-languages/510236 "2009-09-15T21:42:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2019, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-names-that-sound-funny-in-other-languages/510236/41 "2019-10-08T01:54:22Z")
In Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, there will be problems with the nickname Pookie or Pooky; in those languages, “puki” is a 4 letter word for vagina. Google Translate says that it has the same meaning in Maori, Malagasy and Hawaiian, so apparently it’s a shared word in Austronesian and Polynesian languages: [puki - Wiktionary](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/puki) It seems that the nickname isn’t as common these days (and I just googled and found a business with that name, Pookie & Sebastian: [https://pookieandsebastian.com/](https://pookieandsebastian.com/)) ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2019, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-names-that-sound-funny-in-other-languages/510236/42 "2019-10-08T02:30:36Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > 花 (_hana_) is flower. 鼻 (_hana_) is nose. There are a lot of words in Japanese that use different kanji (and usually different pitch-accent) but are spelled the same in kana or romaji (roman letters). The Flower version is a not-uncommon girl’s name, too. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2019, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-names-that-sound-funny-in-other-languages/510236/43 "2019-10-08T04:58:10Z")
Bobby is a very popular name in Spain. For male dogs. > [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Not a name but the mathematically unimpeachable term coproduct has some meaning like shit in Spanish. 😕 No it doesn’t. In industrial environments we refer to “stuff that you produce at the same time as something else” (for example, in a molding process where your mold has cavities in two different shapes) as a _coproducto_; your coproducers are our _coproductores_… and that’s all Latin roots. There are some Spanish words which are related to shit and which begin by _copro-_ but that’s a Greek root and the words have English sisters: _[coprofilia](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coprophilia)_, _[coprofagia](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coprophagy)_. Someone has been pulling your leg or seriously needs to go back to The Roots Of Spanish (5th grade). ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2019, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-names-that-sound-funny-in-other-languages/510236/44 "2019-10-08T16:08:33Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > If your name is Nick, be careful introducing yourself to Arabs. > > _Nik_ is Arabic for fuck. I wonder if that’s where they got “nik-nik,” which meant the same thing in Latka’s language on _Taxi_. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2019, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-names-that-sound-funny-in-other-languages/510236/45 "2019-10-08T17:01:33Z")
It is known in all Spaniish-speaking countries that Boston is the city that produces the biggest amount of fecal matter in the US, followed closely by Chicago. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2019, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-names-that-sound-funny-in-other-languages/510236/46 "2019-10-09T02:30:29Z")
Arabic combines the P & B sounds. As a result, “Paul” sounds like “Urine.” ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2019, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-names-that-sound-funny-in-other-languages/510236/47 "2019-10-09T05:10:02Z")
Jamie sounds pretty silly in Spanish. I’m told. I don’t speak any kind of the spanish language so if I’m wrong _Nava_ you can set me straight. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2019, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-names-that-sound-funny-in-other-languages/510236/48 "2019-10-09T05:30:04Z")
Polycarp…sniff… ---
**Author:** ![JoseB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/joseb/32/1530_2.png) [@JoseB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoseB)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2019, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-names-that-sound-funny-in-other-languages/510236/49 "2019-10-09T06:06:48Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Jamie sounds pretty silly in Spanish. I’m told. > I don’t speak any kind of the spanish language so if I’m wrong _Nava_ you can set me straight. Native Spanish speaker here. To me, “Jamie” (the name, I imagine) doesn’t sound like anything in particular… The phenomenon discussed in this thread happens A LOT between Spanish and Japanese. Both languages have rather similar phonemic inventories, and there are quite a few words that sound the same in both… and, probably due to some kind of cosmic joke (or because God has a weird sense of humor), a perfectly normal word in one language will have an insulting, silly or straight-up obscene meaning in the other. Some examples: Japanese “Baka” (=“fool”) sounds exactly the same as Spanish “vaca” (=“cow”). Japanese “chocho” (=“butterfly”) sounds like Spanish “chocho” (=“pussy” with the meaning of “vulva”). Conversely, Spanish “manco” (=“guy who is missing a hand”) sounds like Japanese “manco” (=“pussy” with the meaning of “vulva”). Then there is Japanese “aho” (=“idiot”) and similar-sounding Spanish “ajo” (=“garlic”). Also, “todo” means “everything” in Spanish and “seal” (as in the animal) in Japanese, and Japanese “tomare” means “stop!” (as in a command to stop) whereas the identically pronounced Spanish “tomaré” means “I will take” or “I will drink (alcohol)”. Then we have my real-life Japanese friend whose surname is “Kakita”, which is a perfectly standard surname in Japanese, but in Spanish that particular combination of sounds means “little shit”. And, conversely, my real-life Spanish friend whose surname is “Quintana”, who went to study in Japan and who quickly discovered that his surname is pronounced not unlike “Kintama”, which in Japanese means “testicles”. And there are more… > [@Nava](#): > > \ > > 😕 No it doesn’t. In industrial environments we refer to “stuff that you produce at the same time as something else” (for example, in a molding process where your mold has cavities in two different shapes) as a _coproducto_; your coproducers are our _coproductores_… and that’s all Latin roots. There are some Spanish words which are related to shit and which begin by _copro-_ but that’s a Greek root and the words have English sisters: _[coprofilia](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coprophilia)_, _[coprofagia](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coprophagy)_. Someone has been pulling your leg or seriously needs to go back to The Roots Of Spanish (5th grade). Maybe the person was parsing the word as _”copro” + “ducto”_ and, by comparison with “acueducto” (=“aquaduct”) thought that it meant some kind of structure to carry shit away (a sewer, perhaps?). ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2019, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-names-that-sound-funny-in-other-languages/510236/50 "2019-10-09T06:17:46Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > Just curious – is the male name Randall used in Australia? In the US it is commonly shortened to Randy; is Randall not used or is it just the nickname that doesn’t occur? > > My friend did quickly learn not to introduce herself to new people by saying “Hi, I’m Randi.” :eek: I’ve never met a Randall - it’s just a surname here. I found a nice [list](http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/pregnancy/baby-names/1930) of baby names going back to 1930, and that has no knowledge of the name either (‘Ralph’ made it to the dizzying heights of 90th in 1930) Also: :D:eek:😃 at your friend… ---
**Author:** ![Anaglyph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Anaglyph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaglyph)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2019, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-names-that-sound-funny-in-other-languages/510236/51 "2019-10-09T13:18:34Z")
English “mist” means “manure” in German, therefore “Misty” is one of the less fortunate first names ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2019, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-names-that-sound-funny-in-other-languages/510236/52 "2019-10-09T16:42:51Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > Just curious – is the male name Randall used in Australia? In the US it is commonly shortened to Randy; is Randall not used or is it just the nickname that doesn’t occur? > > My friend did quickly learn not to introduce herself to new people by saying “Hi, I’m Randi.” :eek: “Fanny” as a name has some problems in the US but it’s much worse in Australia and NZ, where it means vulva instead of buttocks. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2019, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-names-that-sound-funny-in-other-languages/510236/53 "2019-10-10T19:49:12Z")
I’m surprised we’re not hearing how funny “Malleus, Incus, Stapes!” sounds in other languages. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2019, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-names-that-sound-funny-in-other-languages/510236/54 "2019-10-10T21:52:14Z")
I’m told that the Pixar film _Coco_ is known in Brazil as _Viva_, since the original title could easily be mistaken by the Portuguese word “cocô”, which translates to “poop.” The character Coco was renamed Ines. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2019, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-names-that-sound-funny-in-other-languages/510236/55 "2019-10-10T22:17:10Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > I’m surprised we’re not hearing how funny “Malleus, Incus, Stapes!” sounds in other languages. Okay, sure. “Malleus, Incus, Stapes!” sounds funny in English, or at the very least is fun to say. yours, HammerAnvilStirrup ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2019, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-names-that-sound-funny-in-other-languages/510236/56 "2019-10-10T22:38:49Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Jamie sounds pretty silly in Spanish. I’m told. > I don’t speak any kind of the spanish language so if I’m wrong _Nava_ you can set me straight. > [@JoseB](#): > > Native Spanish speaker here. To me, “Jamie” (the name, I imagine) doesn’t sound like anything in particular… Yeah, it just sounds like “Yéimi”. We do tend to write it wrong due to being so close to the Spanish Jaime, but that’s a matter of remembering they’re actually two different names. > [@](#): > > The phenomenon discussed in this thread happens A LOT between Spanish and Japanese. Both languages have rather similar phonemic inventories, and there are quite a few words that sound the same in both… and, probably due to some kind of cosmic joke (or because God has a weird sense of humor), a perfectly normal word in one language will have an insulting, silly or straight-up obscene meaning in the other. You left out the whole mountain of jokes derived from the Japanese word _yama_ sounding like the Spanish _llama_. “Mountain” vs. “(s)he calls”. The lastname Yamamoto becomes “(s)he calls a motorbike”, etc. > [@](#): > > Maybe the person was parsing the word as _”copro” + “ducto”_ and, by comparison with “acueducto” (=“aquaduct”) thought that it meant some kind of structure to carry shit away (a sewer, perhaps?). If that is so and as I said, it’s back to The Roots of Spanish with them, but Ockam’s Razor says it’s a lot more likely that he was just being funny (for very limited amounts of “funny”: “let’s confuse the foreigner” is the kind of joke that’s found funny by the same people who like asking questions that they believe insulting). ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2019, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-names-that-sound-funny-in-other-languages/510236/57 "2019-10-12T16:23:57Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > This thread reminded me of a joke from _Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt_ that claimed that in Vietnamese Kimmy means penis (The joke comes from the fact that this was said by a Vietnamese man named Dong). I have never been sure if that’s actually true, or if the writers just made that up for the sake of the joke. I can answer that one: it was just for the joke. There are a number of slang words for penis, but none of them sound anything like Kimmy. However, they also joked that in Vietnamese “street” and “sugar” are the same word and that’s true. (Đường) Greg in Vietnamese sounds like “rét”, which means freezing cold. Charles was mangled in a lot of different ways, but sometimes sounded like “chân”, which means feet. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-names-that-sound-funny-in-other-languages/510236.md?page=2)