boricua

American  

[baw-ree-kwuh] / bɔˈri kwə /

noun

1. a Puerto Rican, or person of Puerto Rican descent.

   He’s a proud boricua.

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adjective

1. of or relating to Puerto Rico or Puerto Ricans: The new production of West Side Story will prioritize boricua casting.

   the top ten boricua restaurants in New York;

   The new production of West Side Story will prioritize boricua casting.

Etymology

Origin of boricua

First recorded in 1945–50; from Taíno Borikén “the great land of the valiant and noble lord” (the name of the island)

Example Sentences

Much has been said already about Bad Bunny’s magnum opus; the album is a generation-spanning, full-throated celebration of boricua resilience, and simultaneously a pointed warning about the ongoing neocolonization of La Isla del Encanto.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 16, 2025

“It was very healing for me,” she says of the album, which blends old-school Puerto Rican boricua samples with Latin dance and reggaeton influences for an emotional imagining of Puerto Rican identity.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 3, 2025

He goes back to Rafael Cortijo — the roots, the very essence of boricua culture.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 28, 2025

He zigzags gracefully from the reggae love paean “Manifestación de Amor,” with boricua band Gomba Jahbari, to the bossa tinged “Besos de Invierno.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2024

“What’s up, boricua linda? Can we walk you home?”

From "Like Vanessa" by Tami Charles