Translation guide
The English word "creep" has several distinct meanings, from moving slowly and stealthily to an unpleasant person or a gradual change. This guide breaks down the most useful meanings for learners and provides natural Japanese equivalents.
He crept into the room.
Means 'move stealthily' or 'sneak'. Emphasizes the secretive nature of the movement.
The cat crept up on its prey.
Literally 'advance as if crawling'. Used for very slow, low-to-the-ground movement, often in a military or survival context.
The soldiers crept forward.
To happen or change very slowly, often in a way that is hard to notice.
Means 'advance gradually'. Used for slow progress or change.
Time crept by.
Describes something spreading or expanding little by little, often with a sense of inevitability.
Anxiety crept in.
Literally 'sneak up unnoticed'. Poetic, used for abstract things like old age or danger.
A person who behaves in a way that makes others feel uncomfortable, scared, or disgusted.
The most common and direct way to call someone 'creepy'. Literally 'a person who feels bad'.
That guy is a creep.
Means 'pervert' or 'deviant'. Stronger than 'creep', often used for sexual predators or stalkers.
Loanword for 'stalker'. Used specifically for someone who obsessively follows or harasses another person.
Very casual and slangy. 'キモい' is short for '気持ち悪い'. 'やつ' means 'guy'. Used among friends or in rough speech.
That dude is a total creep.
To cause a feeling of fear, disgust, or unease.
To move closer to someone or something without being seen or heard.
In technical contexts, the slow deformation of a material under stress, or the gradual movement of something.
The loanword 'クリープ' is used in engineering and materials science for creep deformation.
At high temperatures, creep occurs in metals.
English 'creep' as a verb of movement doesn't have a single direct equivalent. Use context-appropriate phrases like 忍び足で歩く or こっそり動く. Avoid literal translations like 這う (crawl) unless the movement is actually on all fours.
気持ち悪い人 is a general term for someone creepy or gross, while 変質者 specifically implies a sexual deviant or pervert. Use 変質者 only when the context involves sexual harassment or predation.
I crept out of the room so I wouldn't wake her.
Old age creeps up on you.
駅で変質者に遭った。
I encountered a creep at the station.
She's being bothered by a creep/stalker.
Literally 'goosebumps stand up'. Used when something is creepy or scary.
That movie gave me the creeps.
This house gives me the creeps.
He crept up behind her.