Translation guide
How to express suddenly feeling intense fear in Japanese, from physical reactions to idiomatic phrases.
I was suddenly seized with fear in the darkness.
Means 'to be driven by fear', implying an uncontrollable urge or feeling. Slightly more literary than 襲われる.
He ran away, seized with fear.
Means 'to be caught/captured by fear', emphasizing being trapped in a state of fear. Often used in psychological contexts.
She was seized with fear and couldn't move.
An onomatopoeic expression for a sudden shiver of fear or disgust. More casual and physical than the above.
I shuddered with fear when I heard that story.
Describing the bodily sensation when fear strikes suddenly.
Literally 'body hair stands on end', a common idiom for a sudden chill of fear. Very natural for horror or shock.
The sight made my hair stand on end with fear.
Literally 'spine freezes', a vivid expression for a sudden chill of terror. Often used in written language.
All three mean 'be seized with fear', but 襲われる emphasizes the sudden attack, かられる implies being driven by fear, and とらわれる suggests being trapped in fear. 襲われる is the most common and neutral.
I was seized with fear by the sudden earthquake.
Driven by fear, I ended up screaming.
He was seized with fear for a long time.
Avoid directly translating 'seized' as つかまれる or 捕まえられる. These sound unnatural for emotions. Use the idiomatic phrases above instead.
Means 'get goosebumps', used for fear, cold, or excitement. Very common in everyday speech.
I was so scared I got goosebumps.
I heard a scream that made my blood run cold.