Dictionary — Entry No. 0580
보라색
borasaek · noun
보라색
borasaek
[boh-RAH-saek]
nounbeginner
Meaning
보라색 means ‘purple’ in Korean, combining 보라 (the hue) and 색 (color). While 보라 alone names the color, 보라색 specifically refers to it as a color category. It holds extraordinary cultural weight in K-Pop fan history.
K-Pop & K-Drama Context
In 2016, BTS’s V (Kim Taehyung) coined the phrase 보라해 (‘I purple you’) at a fan meeting, explaining that purple — the last color of the rainbow — represents trust and love that will last forever. Purple immediately became the official symbolic color of BTS and ARMY, seen in ARMY Bombs, fan projects, and sweeping violet concert seas. IVE and NewJeans have also embraced dreamy purple palettes in select concept photos.
Example Sentences
나는 보라색을 제일 좋아해.
naneun borasaeg-eul jeil johahae
‘I like purple the most.’ — simple color preference that carries extra emotional weight for ARMY
저 꽃은 보라색이에요.
jeo kkot-eun borasaeg-ieyo
‘That flower is purple.’ — straightforward literal color description
보라해!
boraha!
‘I purple you!’ — BTS/ARMY’s special phrase of deep trust and lasting love, derived from 보라색 but used as a verb
⚠️ Don’t use borasaek when…
보라색 (the color purple) and 보라해 (V’s ‘I purple you’ phrase) are related but not interchangeable — one is a noun, the other a coined verb. Also, 색 is often dropped in casual speech so 보라 alone is perfectly correct.
🎵 Heard In
- K-Drama: Goblin (도깨비) — iconic scenes feature Kim Shin surrounded by sweeping purple flower fields, cementing 보라색 as the color of ethereal, supernatural longing
- K-Pop: BTS — Boy With Luv (작은 것들을 위한 시)
ℹ️ Editorial Note: The cultural context and example usage are for educational reference only. Artist names, song titles, and drama references are used descriptively to illustrate vocabulary in context. This content is AI-assisted and reviewed for accuracy. For official information, please refer to the respective artists’ or studios’ official channels.