Bora 보라
Bora name meaning: “purple” (a native Korean word)
Bora is a Korean given name, most often given to girls. In hangul it is written 보라. Like most Korean names it can also be written in hanja, and the characters chosen decide what it means — the same sound can be written 720 different ways.
About the name Bora
Bora (보라) is a two-syllable name, sometimes romanized as Bo-ra to show the distinct syllables. Its meaning comes from the native Korean word for "purple." This makes Bora a name whose meaning is fixed and readily understood by Koreans, without needing hanja to define it.
While Bora is a native Korean word name, it can also be represented by hanja. For example, the syllable Bo (보) can use 寶 (treasure) or 保 (protect), while Ra (라) can use 羅 (net) or 蓏 (fruit). This allows for combinations such as 寶羅, suggesting a treasured net, or 保羅, meaning a protective net. These hanja options offer different tones, though the most straightforward interpretation remains the native Korean word. Bora is mostly given to girls, and the romanization "Bora" generally reads most naturally in English-speaking countries.
Other spellings
The same name is romanized in several ways: Bora, Bo-ra. They are all 보라.
How to pronounce Bora
Say it as boh-rah (2 syllables). Korean doesn't stress one syllable the way English does, so give each beat roughly the same weight rather than saying BOH-rah.
- "o" is a pure, rounded "oh", without the "w" glide English adds in "go".
- Korean "r" at the start of a syllable is a light tap of the tongue, between an English r and l, like the "tt" in American "butter".
- At the very start of the name, g, d, b and j are lighter than in English, halfway toward k, t, p and ch.
The recording is a synthesized standard Seoul voice; the respelling above is an English approximation of it. More on the rules: how to pronounce Korean names. To hear more spoken Korean, try Korean greetings with audio.
Five Elements (Ohaeng)
In Korean naming tradition each syllable carries an element, decided by the consonant it starts with. This is what a name sounds like in terms of energy.
- 보 (starts with ㅂ)→Waterdepth, adaptability, quiet strength
- 라 (starts with ㄹ)→Firebrightness, passion, visibility
Hanja used for Bora
These are hanja characters legally registrable for each syllable, with their dictionary meanings. A parent picks one character per syllable, and that combination becomes the written meaning of the name.
보30 characters can be used
- 寶treasure보배 보
- 報repay, report갚을 보
- 補mend, patch기울 보
- 保protect, keep; swaddling cloth; small castle지킬 보/포대기 보/작은 성 보
- 普wide넓을 보
- 步step, walk걸음 보
- 甫big클 보
- 輔assist, help; cheekbone도울 보/광대뼈 보
라24 characters can be used
- 羅net그물 라(나)
- 蓏fruit열매 라(나)
- 懶lazy게으를 라(나)
- 摞tie, bind맬 라(나)
- 蘿mugwort쑥 라(나)
- 螺conch, snail소라 라(나)
- 裸naked, bare벗을 라(나)
- 儸capable, clever간능 있을 라(나)
Bora name FAQ
- What does Bora mean in Korean?
- Bora (보라) is a native Korean word meaning "purple", and the name carries that meaning directly. It can also be written in hanja — 보라 has 720 possible hanja spellings.
- Is Bora a Korean name?
- Yes. Bora is a Korean given name written 보라 in hangul, mostly given to girls.
- How do you write Bora in Korean?
- In hangul it is 보라. It is also romanized as Bo-ra.
- What element is the name Bora?
- By its sounds, Bora carries Water + Fire in the Five Elements (Ohaeng) of Korean naming.
Names sharing a syllable
Bora belongs to someone else. Yours is drawn from your own birth chart — the four pillars of your birth date and hour decide which elements your name should carry.
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