Pokémon is an abbreviation of what Japanese franchise name translated into English?

Pokémon is an abbreviation of Pocket Monsters.

The Japanese franchise name is Poketto Monsutā, written in English as Pocket Monsters. The shorter form Pokémon was used internationally and became the familiar brand name for the games, anime, trading cards, films, and merchandise.

The name also explains why the original Japanese games were titled Pocket Monsters Red and Green. During development, the project was briefly associated with the working title Capsule Monsters, but that name could not be trademarked, so the team adopted Pocket Monsters.

The accented é in Pokémon helps distinguish the pronunciation and spelling of the brand. In ordinary English usage, Pokémon is both singular and plural, while “Pokémon species” or “Pokémon characters” can be used when a more specific plural phrase is helpful.