Thri-Kreen Name Generator

Thri-kreen are the mantis-like nomads of Dungeons & Dragons, best known from the Dark Sun setting and returned to 5e in Spelljammer. Their names are meant to be spoken by insect mouthparts, so they are built from clicks, chitters and hisses that human speakers approximate with hard k, t and ch sounds. Published examples include Ka'Cha, Chuka-tet, T'Chai, T'Chowb, Drik-Chkit, Kacht-ta, Chak-tha, Hakka, Ka'Chit, Kt'kk, Pak'cha, Ptexoq, Sa'ram and Tka'chuk.

Structurally, a thri-kreen name is one to three short syllables joined by an apostrophe or hyphen. Apostrophes mark a glottal stop or click between sounds (Ka'Chit), while hyphens join two whole syllables (Chuka-tet). Vowels are sparse and are almost always a, i or short e; sequences like kkt or chz that would be unpronounceable in Common are perfectly normal for kreen. Names carry no gender because thri-kreen do not think in those terms, and there are no surnames: a kreen identifies by clutch (the group hatched together) and pack, and will name its clutch-mates before itself.

When inventing your own, keep the palette narrow. Kreen names should never contain soft consonants like l, m, r or w, and adding those instantly makes a name sound elven or human. The best names are hard to say aloud on purpose, which is exactly the point.