برا

See also: بڑا

Arabic

Etymology 1

Adverbial accusative of بَرّ (barr, “land”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bar.ran/

Adverb

بَرًّا • (barran)

1. not in a seacraft or aircraft; by land, on land, overland

   Coordinate terms: بَحْرًا (baḥran, “navally; overseas”), جَوًّا (jawwan, “aerially”)

2. outside, without

Descendants

• Egyptian Arabic: برا (barra)
• Maltese: barra
• Moroccan Arabic: برا (barra)
• South Levantine Arabic: برا (barra)
• → Azerbaijani: bərrən
• → Ottoman Turkish: براً (berren)

References

• Haywood, J.A.; Nahmad, H.M. (1965), “برا”, in A new Arabic grammar, 2^nd edition, London: Lund Humphries, →ISBN

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

بَرَّا • (barrā) (form I) /bar.raː/

1. inflection of بَرَّ (barra):
   1. third-person masculine dual past active
   2. second-person dual active imperative

Central Kurdish

Etymology

From Proto-Iranian *bráHtā, Proto-Indo-Iranian *bʰráHtā, From Proto-Indo-European *bʰréh₂tēr.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bəɾaː/

Noun

Northern Kurdish	bira
Central Kurdish	برا (bra)

برا (bira)

1. brother

Derived terms

• برازا (biraza)
• برازاوا (birazawa)
• برالە (birale)
• براماک (biramak)
• براژن (birajin)
• برایانە (birayane)
• برایی (birayî)
• برایەتی (birayetî)
• زڕبرا (zirrbira)

References

• Qazzaz, Shafiq (2000), “برا”, in The Sharezoor Kurdish–English dictionary, Erbil: Aras Press and Publishers, page 59
• Hejar (1990), “برا”, in Henbane borîne‎^[1], Tehran: Soroush, page 50
• Wahby, T.; Edmonds, C. J. (1966), “bira”, in A Kurdish-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press, page 17

Egyptian Arabic

Alternative forms

• برة (barra), بره

Etymology 1

Inherited from Arabic بَرًّا (barran).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bar.ra/, [ˈbɑɾːɑ]

Adverb

برا • (barra)

1. outside, outdoors

   Antonym: جوا (guwwa, juwwa)

Preposition

برا • (barra)

1. outside of, out of

   Antonym: جوا (guwwa, juwwa)

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English bra.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /b(i.)raː/, [ˈbɾɑː]

Noun

برا • (brā) m (plural براهات (brahāt))

1. bra

   Synonyms: سنتيان, ستيان

Gulf Arabic

Alternative forms

• برة (barra)

Etymology

Inherited from Arabic بَرًّا (barran).

Pronunciation

• (Kuwait) IPA^(key): /ˈbərːə/

Adverb

بَرّا • (barra)

1. outside, outdoors

   Antonym: داخل (dāḵil)

   خنتغدى برا. ― ḵan-nitġadda barra. ― Let's have lunch outdoors.

Preposition

بَرّا • (barra)

1. outside of, out of

   Antonym: داخل (dāḵil)

   لحد يطلع برا البيت وكت الغبار

   laḥḥad yiṭlaʕ barra l-bēt wakt il-ġbār

   Nobody goes outside the house at the time of sandstorms (or at the time of the sandstorm)

Khalaj

Postposition

بَرا (bara)

1. Arabic spelling of bara (“because of, in respect of”)

Laki

Noun

بِرا (bira)

1. brother

Malay

Proper noun

برا

1. Jawi spelling of Bera.‎

Moroccan Arabic

Etymology 1

Inherited from Arabic بَرًّا (barran).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bar.ra/

Adverb

برا • (barra)

1. outside, outdoors

Preposition

برا • (barra)

1. outside

Etymology 2

Etymology tree

Arabic بَرِئَ (bariʔa)

Arabic بَرَاءَة (barāʔa)

Moroccan Arabic برا

Inherited from Arabic بَرَاءَة (barāʔa).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /braː/

Noun

برا • (brā) f (plural براوات (brāwāt))

1. alternative form of برية (briyya)

Descendants

• → Central Atlas Tamazight: ⵜⴰⴱⵔⴰⵜ (tabrat)
• → Ghomara: tabrat
• → Tarifit: tabrat
• → Tashelhit: tabrat

Ottoman Turkish

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic بَرًّا (barran), adverbial accusative of بَرّ (barr).

Adverb

براً • (berren)

1. by land

Further reading

• Kélékian, Diran (1911), “برا”, in Dictionnaire turc-français‎^[2] (in French), Constantinople: Mihran, page 258

Persian

Preposition

برا • (barâ)

1. (informal) Colloquial form of برای (barâye).

Descendants

• → Khalaj: bara

Punjabi

Pronunciation

• (Standard Punjabi) IPA^(key): /bʊ.ɾäː/
• Rhymes: -äː

Adjective

بُرا • (burā) (comparative بَدْتَر, superlative بَدْتَرِین, Gurmukhi spelling ਬੁਰਾ)

1. bad (including all the broader meanings associated, i.e. sinner, oppressor, dirty, disgraced etc.)

   Synonym: بَھیڑا (bhaeṛā)

   Antonym: اَچّھا (acchā)

2. disliked
3. dirty

Declension

Declension of برا

	masculine			feminine
	singular	plural		singular	plural
direct	بُرا (burā)	بُرے (bure)		بُری (burī)	بُرِیاں (buriyāṉ)
oblique	بُرے (bure)	بُریاں (bureyāṉ)		بُری (burī)	بُرِیاں (buriyāṉ)

Further reading

• Iqbal, Salah ud-Din (2002), “بُرا”, in vaḍḍī panjābī lughat (in Punjabi), Lahore: عزیز پبلشرز [ʻazīz pabliśarz]
• “ਬੁਰਾ”, in Punjabi-English Dictionary, Patiala: Punjabi University, 2026

South Levantine Arabic

Root
ب ر ر
3 terms

Alternative forms

• برة

Etymology

Inherited from Arabic بَرًّا (barran).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bar.ra/, [ˈbɑrˤ.rˤɑ]

• Audio (Ramallah):

  (file)

Adverb

برّا • (barra)

1. outside, outdoors

   Antonym: جوا (juwwa)

Derived terms

• بريت (barrīt, “outside”, preposition)

Southern Kurdish

Noun

برا (bra)

1. brother

Tunisian Arabic

Etymology 1

Inherited from Arabic بَرًّا (barran).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɐr.rɐ/

Verb

برا (barra)

1. (imperative only) go!, go ahead!

Adverb

برا (barra)

1. (preceded by ال) outside, outdoors

   تِستَنَّى فِينَا البَرَّا ― testannə fīnə l-barra ― She's waiting for us outside

   Antonym: الدِاخِل (l-dēḵel)

2. (preceded by ال) abroad, overseas

   "نحِبّ نَقرَا البَرّا!" "حُطّ كُرسِي فِي الجّنِينَة واَقرَى"

   "nḥebb naqra l-barra!" "ḥoṭṭ korsi f-ej-jnīnə w-aqra"

   "I'd like to study abroad!" "Set up a chair in the yard and study then"

   (a common teasing catchphrase; plays on the duality of the word)

   Synonym: الخَارِج (l-ḵārej)

Interjection

برا (barra)

1. (followed by عَاد) an expression used when losing it with someone or something: come on!

   بَرّا عَادْ، شبَاشْ يسَلِّكهَا تَوّْ!

   barra ʕǣd, š'bēš ysællekhə taww!

   Come one now, What can resolve it now!

2. (repeated 2 times) expression used when approving of something genuinely or sarcastically. The latter of which implies disapproval: sure, yeah no

   تحِبّ تِمشِي لِلعِرس؟ بَرَّا بَرَّا

   tḥebb temši l-el-ʕers? Barra barra

   Is it that you want to attend the wedding? Fine

   تحِبّ علَى زُوز ملَايِن؟! بَرَّ بَرَّا

   tḥebb ʕlə zūz mlēyen?! Barra barra

   [You said] you want two grand?! Yeah no lol

3. (repeated 3 times) expression used when just remembering something

   بَرَّا بَرَّا بَرَّا، اِيّ تفَكِّرهَا الفَازَة!

   barra barra barra eyy tfakkerthə l-fāzə!

   Good heavens, I just remembered how the story went!

Etymology 2

Verb

برا (bara)

1. alternative form of برَى (bra)

Etymology 3

Inherited from Arabic بَرَّأَ (barraʔa).

Verb

برا (barra)

1. to request to be pronounced innocent

Conjugation

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Conjugation of بَرَّا (Group V1)

Infinitive: بَرَّا singular plural 1st person 2nd person 3rd person 1st person 2nd person 3rd person masculine feminine آنَا اِنتِ هُوَّ هِيَّ اَحنَا اِنتُومَا هُومَا Active voice past بَرِّيت (barrīt) بَرِّيت (barrīt) بَرَّا (barra) بَرَّات (barrāt) بَرِّينا (barrīnə) بَرِّيتُوا (barrītu) بَرَّاوا (barrāw) non-past نبَرِّي (nbarri) تبَرِّي (tbarri) يبَرِّي (ybarri) تبَرِّي (tbarri) نبَرِّيوا (nbarrīw) تبَرِّيوا (tbarrīw) يبَرِّيوا (ybarrīw) imperative بَرِّي (barri) بَرِّيوا (barrīw) masculine feminine common participles past present verbal noun — Passive infinitive: تبَرَّا singular plural 1st person 2nd person 3rd person 1st person 2nd person 3rd person masculine feminine آنَا اِنتِ هُوَّ هِيَّ اَحنَا اِنتُومَا هُومَا Passive voice past تبَرِّيت (tbarrīt) تبَرِّيت (tbarrīt) تبَرَّا (tbarra) تبَرَّات (tbarrāt) تبَرِّينا (tbarrīnə) تبَرِّيتُوا (tbarrītu) تبَرَّاوا (tbarrāw) non-past نِتبَرَّا (netbarra) تِتبَرَّا (tetbarra) يِتبَرَّا (yetbarra) تِتبَرَّا (tetbarra) نِتبَرَّاوا (netbarrāw) تِتبَرَّاوا (tetbarrāw) يِتبَرَّاوا (yetbarrāw) imperative اِتبَرَّا (etbarra) اِتبَرَّاوا (etbarrāw) masculine feminine common participles past present verbal noun ​ singular plural 1st person 2nd person 3rd person 1st person 2nd person 3rd person masculine feminine آنَا اِنتِ هُوَّ هِيَّ اَحنَا اِنتُومَا هُومَا Causative voice past non-past imperative masculine feminine common participles past present verbal noun ​ singular plural 1st person 2nd person 3rd person 1st person 2nd person 3rd person masculine feminine آنَا اِنتِ هُوَّ هِيَّ اَحنَا اِنتُومَا هُومَا Passive Causative voice past non-past imperative masculine feminine common participles past present verbal noun

The infinitive form is identically the 3rd person singular masculine past form of the verb

Urdu

Pronunciation

• (Standard Urdu) IPA^(key): /bʊ.ɾɑː/
• Rhymes: -ɑː
• Hyphenation: بُ‧را

Adjective

بُرا • (burā) (comparative بدتر, superlative بدترین, Hindi spelling बुरा)

1. bad (including all the broader meanings associated, i.e. sinner, oppressor, dirty, disgraced etc.)

   Antonym: اَچّھا (acchā)

2. disliked, ugly
3. dirty
4. oppressor
5. wicked, evil
6. injurious

Declension

Declension of برا

	masculine			feminine
	singular	plural		singular	plural
direct	بُرا (burā)	بُرے (bure)		بُری (burī)	بُری (burī)
indirect	بُرے (bure)	بُرے (bure)		بُری (burī)	بُری (burī)

Synonyms

• بَد (bad)
• خراب

Further reading

• “برا”, in اُردُو لُغَت (urdū luġat) (in Urdu), Ministry of Education: Government of Pakistan, 2017.
• “برا”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2026.
• Qureshi, Bashir Ahmad (1971), “برا”, in Kitabistan's 20th Century Standard Dictionary, Lahore: Kitabistan Pub. Co.
• Platts, John T. (1884), “برا”, in A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English, London: W. H. Allen & Co.
• Fallon, S. W. (1879), “برا”, in A New Hindustani-English Dictionary, Banaras, London: Trubner and Co.
• John Shakespear (1834), “برا”, in A dictionary, Hindustani and English: with a copious index, fitting the work to serve, also, as a dictionary of English and Hindustani, 3^rd edition, London: J.L. Cox and Son, →OCLC