name
Karma
KAR-mah
ˈkɑːrmɑːListen
Hear it in a clear American voice. Slow it down to catch each syllable.
Syllable breakdown
Karma
Name meaning and origin
- Origin
- Tibetan
- Meaning
- a Tibetan unisex name derived from the Sanskrit-Tibetan term karma meaning action, deed, or the law of cause and effect that governs rebirth and experience across lifetimes in Buddhist cosmology; in Tibetan Buddhism karma is the mechanism by which intentional actions of body, speech, and mind create imprints on the mindstream that ripen as future experience — wholesome actions leading to happiness, unwholesome actions leading to suffering; the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism, one of the major lineages of Vajrayana practice, takes its name from this concept; the name is extremely common across the Tibetan cultural sphere and is also used as an element in monastic and lay names throughout the Himalayan region
- Gender
- unisex
- Also spelled
- Karmo, Karmu
Common mispronunciations
English speakers often say KAR-muh with a schwa — in Tibetan both vowels are more open
Learn one new pronunciation a day
Get a word, name or idiom like “Karma” in your inbox — daily or weekly, free. Unsubscribe any time.
Something wrong? Suggest a correction