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The problem with the word "Pokémon" is that it's a typical Japanese portmanteau.
The Japanese don't just have a different syntax in their language than English, they also have different pronounciation and viable phonemes.
For instance, their language basically follows a consontant-verb pairing for each syllable. "Chi" "Da" "No", etc. These syllables tend to have their own simple meanings, and more complex words are formed by combining syllables. "No-Da-Chi", "A-Ri-Ga-To", etc. This consonant-vowel pairing is so ingrained and habituated that it even comes out when trying to pronounce English words/names. "Pasta" = "Pa-Su-Ta", "Doctor" = "Da-Ku-Ta".
Also, we're all familiar with how much trouble the Japanese have with phonemes like the lateral "L" sound. This is because the Japanese literally don't have that sound in their language. No syllable, word, or even onomatopoeia has that "L" sound, so they have much difficulty shaping their tongues in the proper way to make the sound. The best approximation is a soft "rrr" sounds, so you get pronunciations of English words like "herro".
The "Pokémon" trouble comes in when the Japanese have their fair share of Westaboos, and they love to break into random English words (especially when they drink). It's like a fun novelty to them, particularly because English is such a different, yet globally-popular language. They like to use English words in their brand names because it sounds exotic and either more "fun" or "business-like" to them. It also causes complications due to many modern inventions patented with English names.
For instance, "Smart Phone" (2 English syllables) is pronounced in Japan as "Su-Ma-To Fo-No" (5 Japanese Syllables). Everyone in Japan has a smartphone now, and a 5-syllable word is cumbersome to casually say, so they made a portmanteau of the two words: "Su-Ma-Fo".
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