Unique names are more easily googleable, and most unique English words are already taken. So, I think it makes sense to consider other languages. Japanese also has simple phonetics (open syllables), making it generally easy to pronounce—unlike, say, Slavic languages.
If this was my aim, I would be choosing a word that doesnt already exist. Thats far more likely to be unique and easily googleable than a popular and trendy existing name of something.
Or at least change the spelling to accomplish the same goal. Whats wrong with Oomami or Umaami to make it easily identifiable on the web?
Exactly. And with generic words you have little recourse if some bigger fish in another market makes a more popular product with the same name and ends up squeezing you out of search results unless users explitly search for HipWord + ProductType at which point you might as well have used a longer but unique name.
There's Czkawka, Polish for "hiccup" application that helps find duplicates [1], dev behind it also created files renamer Szyszka, again "cone" in Polish [2]. Backup solution Kopia [3] mean "copy" but also "lance" and "spear" hence the pointy thing in its logo - if I recall correctly one of devs is Polish.
That's all what I can remember. I wouldn't count KDE apps that do sound Polish or Slavic just because they "had" to replace initial letter with K to keep the leading theme.
Then people behind MATE desktop on the other hand named apps in their project using Spanish words, e.g. file manager Caja - "box" or "case", documents reader Atril - "lectern" or "music stand"
As for Japanese words usage, it's still the outcome of anime&manga wave that bloomed in the end of 90s. What I find surprising is that nothing comparable happen when k-pop and k-dramas rise to popularity - there's a significant fascination of South Korean culture but not as intensive that would show interest in using vocabulary in the West as that happens with Japan. Perhaps mukbang, "eating broadcast" is the only exception.
Now I'm tempted to name a future project "Strč prst skrz krk", possibly without space to form a single word.
By the way I have a single Japanese word named project, but it's related to the language, and that name has two other connections with the project content.
