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Meaning
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A lot of people who hear this name they instantly think of Undertale, but honestly, it's a beautiful name, I've loved it since I've heard it.
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Oh in ancient Greek this would be romanized as Khara/Khará— Chara is more proper because it was only technically a name in modern Greek, but I think Khara would be a normal alternate spelling if you so choose.
I also heard in Llewellyn's Complete Book of Names that Kharma is also derived from the same root but I didn’t look into the sources.
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I also heard in Llewellyn's Complete Book of Names that Kharma is also derived from the same root but I didn’t look into the sources.
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This is my middle name.
If you want to pronounce this name the proper way in Greek, it is pronounced “Kar-a.” However, if you are my mother, you pronounce it sort of like “Char-a.” I am named for a relative named Charles and my mom thought this was the female form of Charles (it is not).
Pronounced either way, the name has grown on me over my lifetime, but the original way to say this name is “Kara.”.
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If you want to pronounce this name the proper way in Greek, it is pronounced “Kar-a.” However, if you are my mother, you pronounce it sort of like “Char-a.” I am named for a relative named Charles and my mom thought this was the female form of Charles (it is not).
Pronounced either way, the name has grown on me over my lifetime, but the original way to say this name is “Kara.”.
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Indie hit Undertale uses the name Chara
Inverted fate has a whole backstory on their name instead of going "'kay. This is your name now :3"
Yes.
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Inverted fate has a whole backstory on their name instead of going "'kay. This is your name now :3"
Yes.
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Chara; charisma.
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Quite cute. Perfect for a toddler but not as nice for a grown-up.
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For people who looked at this because of Undertale, in that game (not irl), it is 110% pronounced kaw-rah. I know this because Chara is not short for character. In fact it isn't short for anything. Rather, it is a pun on the Japanese word "kara" (English-like spelling) which means empty (or off if you use google translate (which would suggest that it is actually a pun on the verb "off" AKA, to kill (also google translate doesn't immediately say off, instead it says from. Just look a little bit down and click where it says off. Double meanings are a thing.))) Since Chara doesn't have a soul until you give them one, this meaning works well.
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WONDERFUL! I love this!
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I don’t care for Undertale so I could genuinely care less about the association, however I do absolutely love this name.
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Fun fact: Chara is the name of the second brightest star in the small constellation Canes Venatici.
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Sounds nice but has a strong association with Undertale.
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Well, personally, I pronounce the name with the 'ch' sound instead of the 'k' sound. This is because I keep thinking back to the Slovakian last name Chara, as in Zdeno Chara, captain of the Boston Bruins. I know that the Greek pronunciation sounds closer to the names Kara and Cara, but this is what I always think of, instead of how the Undertale fandom pronounces it, which is closer to the Greek pronunciation of it.
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I love the meaning of this name, joy and happiness is always a good thing. My friends like to nickname me this, though they pronounce it like the Undertale character.
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This is a good name, but I’m very surprised that no one has ever commented here saying how cringy and bad Undertale is. (Not that UT is bad, just saying).
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Chara is also the name of a star (Beta Canum Venaticorum) which is the top 5 list of stars able to support life.
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Yes, Chara is an undertale thing I guess, I found it in wingdings.
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Chara is also a murderer in the game Undertale, so that's nice?
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There is a character named CHARA in the most popular indie game called UNDERTALE.
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Chara (Greek χαρά) is an aspect of the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22:
ὁ δὲ καρπὸς τοῦ Πνεύματός ἐστιν ἀγάπη, χαρά, εἰρήνη,...
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,...
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ὁ δὲ καρπὸς τοῦ Πνεύματός ἐστιν ἀγάπη, χαρά, εἰρήνη,...
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,...
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Surname of Zdeno Chara, captain of the Boston Bruins Hockey team of the NHL. He is currently the tallest player to ever play in the NHL, at the height of 6 ft 9 in. He was born in the Czech Republic.
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I prefer saying it as 'Chara' as in pronouncing the 'ch' in 'chair'.
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In some ways, there is freedom in how you pronounce a name. The particular name-giver (e.g., parents) and the name-bearer can decide how they prefer for the name to be pronounced. On the other hand, one might want to take into account the meaning and source of the name.
In this case, "Chara" is from the Greek for "joy". Since English has no equivalent of the Greek "ch" sound, the closest consonant (as in most Greek-based words, such as "character" and "charisma") is the "k" sound. Thus, in keeping with this convention, "k" is definitely preferred to "ch" as in "Charlie". For many English-speaking people who don't realize the Greek origin of the name at first, it'd be natural to pronounce the first consonant of "Chara" as in "Charlie". But I think one of the basic social graces that one learns is to try one's best, however imperfectly, to pronounce another's name as the bearer desires. I am glad that the my daughter's teachers and friends, and even school administrators, do make an effort to pronounce her name as intended -- with "k" rather than "ch". (After a while, it becomes natural and requires no effort.)
However, if you don't care about this connection to Greek and just treat the name as an arbitrary English name, you certainly have the right to pronounce it as you choose. Hope this helps.
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In this case, "Chara" is from the Greek for "joy". Since English has no equivalent of the Greek "ch" sound, the closest consonant (as in most Greek-based words, such as "character" and "charisma") is the "k" sound. Thus, in keeping with this convention, "k" is definitely preferred to "ch" as in "Charlie". For many English-speaking people who don't realize the Greek origin of the name at first, it'd be natural to pronounce the first consonant of "Chara" as in "Charlie". But I think one of the basic social graces that one learns is to try one's best, however imperfectly, to pronounce another's name as the bearer desires. I am glad that the my daughter's teachers and friends, and even school administrators, do make an effort to pronounce her name as intended -- with "k" rather than "ch". (After a while, it becomes natural and requires no effort.)
However, if you don't care about this connection to Greek and just treat the name as an arbitrary English name, you certainly have the right to pronounce it as you choose. Hope this helps.
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Can someone tell me please if Chara (= haRA -emphasis on the last
Syllable-) (which means joy in Greek) could be translated in English as Grace? Because my English teacher used to call me like that, or I could just use Cara and no big deal? I struggled with these questions all my life 'cause in Greek it's a nice name that sounds really good, but in other languages it's meeeh and it's embarrassing :/ thank you very much!
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Syllable-) (which means joy in Greek) could be translated in English as Grace? Because my English teacher used to call me like that, or I could just use Cara and no big deal? I struggled with these questions all my life 'cause in Greek it's a nice name that sounds really good, but in other languages it's meeeh and it's embarrassing :/ thank you very much!
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This is a common confusion between the two names Chara and Charis, both from Greek. The former means "joy", the latter "grace".
The name "Chara", when used in an English context, probably sounds more natural with accent on the first syllable. Greek accent is almost musical and flows with the rest of the language; thus insisting on accent on the ultimate syllable for English is, in my opinion, not necessary. I'd be happy if the consonants are pronounced more or less correctly.
As an English name, Chara is a lovely name and the spelling is unique. It's a name I've given to my daughter, and once her teachers and friends get to know the name, they have no trouble pronouncing it.
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The name "Chara", when used in an English context, probably sounds more natural with accent on the first syllable. Greek accent is almost musical and flows with the rest of the language; thus insisting on accent on the ultimate syllable for English is, in my opinion, not necessary. I'd be happy if the consonants are pronounced more or less correctly.
As an English name, Chara is a lovely name and the spelling is unique. It's a name I've given to my daughter, and once her teachers and friends get to know the name, they have no trouble pronouncing it.
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Thank you for your answer!:) I read all the comments above and there are so many opinions (CAra, KHAara, haRA etc) and I don't know which one is right hahah.
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The "ch" (or rather "chi" is pronounced like the ch in "Bach," which most English speakers pronounce quite correctly. It's sort of like a dry gargle. (Before an "ee" or "eh" sound (that is, the letters iota, eta, upsilon or the diphthongs epsilon iota, omicron iota, or upsilon iota (all pronounced "ee" in modern Greek), the letter epsilon or the diphthong alpha iota (both pronounced "eh"), it is pronounced like the h in "huge" (unless you pronounce it "yooj," as I usually do).)
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It is definitely true that English speakers tend to mispronounce words and names in other languages. In Greek, the 'X' is said as 'kh'; thus, Chara is said khara. English speakers would probably end up saying Kara, simply because we don't use the 'kh' sound.
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As a native speaker of Greek with several cousins that bear this name, I can definitely say it's not Kara. Khara is closer, but it's a guttural sound that I think is most easily represented by Ha-RA, emphasis on the last syllable.
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The name Chara has the same first five (four in Greek) letters as the word "character" (which itself is from Greek), so the initial "ch" should be pronounced in the same way. Note that the "k" sound in English is only an approximation; it's more like a soft "k" or a guttural "h". For English speakers "k" will do, but never "ch" as in "Charlie" or "sh" as in "Shirley".
Note also that, in ancient Greek, the accent is on the second syllable, but that will probably sound rather unnatural for modern English. The "a" in the first syllable can be pronounced as in "father" (my preference) or, in a more anglicized manner, as in "hat".
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Note also that, in ancient Greek, the accent is on the second syllable, but that will probably sound rather unnatural for modern English. The "a" in the first syllable can be pronounced as in "father" (my preference) or, in a more anglicized manner, as in "hat".
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Pronounced Hara.
Kara in Latin.
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Kara in Latin.
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Let me start by saying this is a goofy name, but the meaning is pleasant. English is one of the hardest languages to learn and if you don't know the "Ch" is pronounced three different ways: "K", "Sh","Ch". However, The Greek letter "X", known as "Chi", equals plain "C", therefore Chara=Cara. You decide.
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It is also pronounced SH-ara.
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VictoriaCalledTori is right on this; the Greek version of the name begins with the letter Chi, the letter with which Jesus' title of "Christ" ('Christos' in Latinised Greek) also begins. And "Christ" isn't pronounced "SH-rist", is it? The same logic applies to the name "Chara", QED.
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I agree with seraphine_eternal. Since it's strictly a Greek name, the only "correct pronunciation" is the Greek one - and that's Kara (or, Khara). PS: I'm not sure what it has to do with Chara but anonymous, let me tell you – as someone who speaks 5 languages, all Indo-European – that English is the simplest of them all by far. What you describe has nothing to do with complexity of English language and everything to do with English speakers's bad habit of applying their native pronunciation to foreign words without thinking. (no offence intended).
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CH makes a hard K sound. Like Kara (K -ah as in father- ruh).
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I like this name for its sweet sound and its meaning. I know a girl with this name and she is one of the most genuine people I know.
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