Ask HN: Need your opinion on a name...

4 points·obaid··10 comments

We have a client who is launching a product under the name "Koondo" .. they have asked us to provide some feedback on the name so I thought I would ask the HN crowd for some feedback.

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In the UK the word 'coon' (which I assume is how Koon is pronounced here) is an offensive term for a black person (although I must admit to not having heard anyone say it for many years).

That was my first thought too. I'm not a native English speaker, but have heard about this term actually in the american film "Ghost World"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_World_(film)

Was also used in Forest Gump.

In "Ghost World", it was to show how offensive it still was.

Good point. I've seen a share of clueless startups named in a way that made a whole countries laugh.

It's offensive for the same reason here in the US.

I agree with other comments about the close association with a derogatory term. I'm black and when I was reading it (prior to seeing the comments) I found it a little off-putting. Recommend a change of some sort.

Hmm not knowing the product or anything, to me it sounds African in nature, or maybe tropic... Koon makes me think of raccoon (though it can also have some bad connotations in the South US too).

Like most non-native language names you will have differing interpretations on who you ask.

Reading the name, and then thinking bout hearing it, I would think of it as being spelled kundo more then koondo. Beyond that I can't really associate it with anything.

Besides the potential racial undertones, getting feedback on a name without a clue of the product is a little difficult.

what does the product do?

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