Kaltxì! So for creating clan names you have a few options:
One would be to simply grab a regular word out of the dictionary. There are two canon clans that have names like this: the Zeswa ("grass") and the Trr'ong ("dawn"), so this is technically a valid method.
Another option would be to combine multiple words. There are, again, a few different approaches to this. The first would be to literally just smush two words together. I definitely wouldn't recommend this for a character name, but there is some precedence for using it with things like flora/fauna names: for example, lortsyal - "beautiful-wing" (shimmyfly), kxaylspä - "high-jump" (tiger cricket), txampam - "much-sound" (soundblast colossus), etc., as well as sometimes for inanimate things, such as syeprel - "capture-image" (camera) and, most recently, zeyrel - "special-image" (the Sarentu mark), so it wouldn't be out of the question for a clan name.
BUT, if you use this method, whatever you do just please don't insert a random apostrophe between the two words 😅 The apostrophe ("tìftang") is a consonant in Na'vi, not a decoration or spacer, it can't just be sprinkled in anywhere!
Now! All of that said: the vast majority of Na'vi clan names, like the majority of Na'vi character names, don't really have "meanings"! They're just collections of random syllables that sound nice. So let's look at ways to create names like that:
I mentioned there are a few approaches to making names by combining words. Here's another: take the smushed words made with the previous method and change a few letters. What you're left with will be a name that's based on those words, but doesn't actually mean anything anymore: it's just a name now. For example, let's say I take the words "fast" and "river" to make Winkilvan. Now I just change a few letters: let's maybe switch the first i to an e, and perhaps chop off the n at the end. Now I'm left with Wenkilva: a unique name that doesn't actually translate to anything (like most clan names), but was still inspired by the "meaning" I wanted!
There are two canon clans that might have names like this: the Tawkami (taw+kame, "sky"+"See") and the Kame'tire (kame+tirea, "See"+"spirit"). That said, to my knowledge these etymologies are only fan theories, so take them with a grain of salt: it hasn't been confirmed whether these clan names actually come from these words, or whether the similarity is merely coincidence.
A small snag with this method—as well as with the one I'll talk about next—is that it does require you to have some knowledge of Na'vi phonotactics: that is to say, you need to know how syllables are formed to make sure that the changes you make are still phonetically valid.
For more details on how that works, I'd recommend checking out Karyu Olly's Name Guide! Additionally, this video helps you see syllable-building in action. I know it might look overwhelming at first but I promise it's not as bad as it seems! 😅
With that in mind, the next method is a more intense version of the last: take some words you like (or even a whole sentence, if you have one), break down all the syllables, and rearrange them into something new. Again, this will require knowledge of how to recognize and build correct syllables, but it'll also give you a wider range of options to chose from.
For an example, let's do this with the words "winter", "mountain", "snow", and "wind":
zìskrrwew - ram - herwì - hufwe
[zì] [skrr] [wew] [ram] [her] [wì] [hu] [fwe]
Skrrwìfwe
Zìfwehu
Herwew
Huwìramzì
Wewskrrwì
Fwehuram
Ramzìfwe
Fwezì
...etc!
Like the previous method, this will also give you names that don't directly translate to anything but are still inspired by a "meaning"!
And of course, the final method would be just to make up your own syllables without basing them on any preexisting words! This is the way the majority of clan and character names work, though of course, yes, sometimes it can be more difficult to come up with ideas from scratch...you just kinda have to mess around until you find something you like 🙂 And, like the previous method, you have to know how syllables work.
If you ever need to double-check whether a word/name you make up is valid, the Fwew dictionary has a checker! Click the "other" button at the bottom right corner, then "Valid" in the left menu. You can insert your name there and it'll tell you if it's valid! Like so:
If it's invalid the checker will only recognize one mistake at a time though, so you'll have to fix and re-check one by one until it says it's valid, for example this one with three mistakes:
Lastly but certainly not leastly, knowing what all the letters sound like will of course help you pick which name you like best! This video is good for that 🙂
Hope this helps! Sorry it was a bit of a rambly wall of text—feel free to ask if you need anything clarified! 😅
Also, if one of the examples I used in the syllable-scrambling section (Zìfwehu, Huwìramzì, etc.) calls out to you, you're more than welcome to use it if you'd like hrh 🙂
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