also: しょうび · そうび
noun
Refers to the flower or the plant. Usually written in katakana (バラ) in modern Japanese.
庭に赤いバラが咲いている。
Red roses are blooming in the garden.
彼女にバラの花束を贈った。
I gave her a bouquet of roses.
Kanji form is well-known but rarely used in everyday writing; usually written in kana.
Sino-Japanese reading, mainly encountered in literary or formal contexts.
Alternate Sino-Japanese reading, even less common than しょうび.
Hiragana spelling is also used, though katakana is more common for this word.
The reading ばら is a jukujikun (special kanji reading) for 薔薇, which is a Chinese-derived compound. The Sino-Japanese readings しょうび and そうび are rarely used. The word is typically written in katakana.