IKEA names: The system behind the product names

IKEA Names: The System Behind the Product Names

KLUNKA, KLACK or KRITTER... What on earth do these exotic IKEA names actually mean?! You’ve surely wondered at one time or another what’s behind the product names at the Swedish retailer. We’ll reveal what lies behind these funny words and how IKEA names are created.

A short Swedish lesson using funny IKEA names

What sounds like made-up words to us is actually based on a clever system. That’s because IKEA product names aren’t just chosen at random: most terms come from the Scandinavian language area. And some of them just sound funny in English! Depending on the product group, the Swedish company uses different naming conventions. For example, the IKEA names ‘ ’ for beds and wardrobes are derived from Norwegian place names.

There’s a system behind IKEA’s names

TTo us, IKEA names sound like amusing neologisms – yet the Swedish company’s naming system is actually based on a method. And once you’ve got the hang of it, it actually makes perfect sense! And as an added bonus, you can even expand your geographical knowledge. Here’s an overview for you of how these often amusing IKEA names come about:

Bookcases, sofas and coffee tables = Swedish place names
Garden furniture = Swedish islands
Beds and wardrobes = Norwegian place names
Dining tables and chairs = Finnish place names
Rugs = Danish place names
Bathroom items = Scandinavian rivers, lakes and bays
Children’s items = animals and adjectives
Chairs and desks = men’s names
Fabrics and curtains = women’s names
Bookcase ranges = professions

IKEA names with a touch of humour

Even though the origin of IKEA names is actually very simple to explain, some words sound quite amusing to us in German. It’s often impossible not to smile. Take LOCKIG, for example: that’s the name of the potty for children and actually has nothing to do with a head of wild hair. ‘Lock’ means ‘lid’ in Swedish – which makes much more sense in this case!

Image source: ikea.com

And where does the name IKEA actually come from?

Incidentally, the IKEA company name is what is known as an acronym – in other words, a made-up word formed from the initial letters of several words. The individual letters stand for:

IK = the name of IKEA’s founder, Ingvar Kamprad
E = his home farm, Elmtaryd
A = his home village, Agunnaryd

For anyone who wants to know the full story, it’s well worth taking a look at the IKEA Dictionary. It lists a whole host of product names and explains the meaning behind them.

We come up with imaginative names at Limmaland too

Here at Limmaland, we always enjoy coming up with names for our new products. It can get a bit of a laugh sometimes: perhaps you’ve already heard of our KÖKSET for the DUKTIG play kitchen. When coming up with the name, we were naturally inspired by the Swedish word for ‘kitchen’. Things get a bit ‘ DREIECKIG’ with the TRIANGLIG: this way, you can jazz up your play kitchen with a trendy geometric design. With our DROPPA Wolkenreich, you can pimp your IKEA picture ledge. And the colourful raindrops create a really cosy atmosphere in the nursery!