Skip to content
Kotomora

怖

dreadful, be frightened, fearful

JLPTN3StatusJōyō · secondary schoolFrequencyTop 2,000Strokes8

Readings

On'yomi

  • フ
  • ホ

Kun'yomi

  • こわ.い
  • こわ.がる
  • お.じる
  • おそ.れる

Meaning

怖 centers on the feeling of fear or dread: being frightened, fearful, or finding something dreadful.

Most common words using 怖

20 of 65
  • 怖いこわい
    N4

    scary; frightening; eerie; dreadful

  • 恐怖きょうふ
    N3

    fear; dread; dismay; terror; horror; scare; panic

  • 恐怖症きょうふしょう

    phobia; morbid fear

  • 怖がるこわがる
    N1

    to be afraid (of); to fear; to be frightened (of); to be scared (of); to worry (about)

  • 畏怖いふ

    awe; fear; dread; fright

  • 怖気おぞけ

    fear; dread; fright; willies

  • 物怖じものおじ

    cowardice; timidity; bashfulness

  • 怖じるおじる

    to be scared

  • 恐怖心きょうふしん
    N3

    fear; terror

  • 恐怖映画きょうふえいが
    N3

    horror film

  • おなら恐怖症おならきょうふしょう

    pathological fear of passing wind

  • イスラム恐怖症イスラムきょうふしょう

    Islamophobia

  • クモ恐怖症くもきょうふしょう

    arachnophobia

  • 不潔恐怖症ふけつきょうふしょう

    mysophobia; germophobia

  • 人怖じひとおじ

    bashfulness before strangers

  • 先端恐怖症せんたんきょうふしょう

    aichmophobia (fear of sharply pointed objects); belonephobia

  • 外国人恐怖症がいこくじんきょうふしょう

    xenophobia

  • 女性恐怖症じょせいきょうふしょう

    gynophobia; fear of women

  • 孤独恐怖症こどくきょうふしょう

    eremophobia; monophobia

  • 対人恐怖症たいじんきょうふしょう

    anthropophobia; social anxiety disorder

Explore all words using 怖 →

Study

Etymology

怖 combines the heart radical 忄 with 布, which likely contributes the sound. The heart radical suggests an emotional state, here fear or dread.

Meaning mnemonic

The heart radical 忄 beside 布 (cloth) suggests a heart wrapped in cloth, trembling with fear. Imagine a frightened person clutching a cloth to their chest.

Reading mnemonic

For フ, imagine a fearful person blowing out a candle with a soft 'fu' sound: fu -> フ, and the darkness makes them even more frightened.