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怖いもの見たさ (こわいものみたさ) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
expression, noun
morbid curiosity ; urge to see something scary or unpleasant
Describes the paradoxical desire to look at something frightening, disgusting, or disturbing, despite knowing it will be unpleasant. Often used in set phrases like 怖いもの見たさで.
こ
現げん
場ば
を
通とお
りかかっ
て
、
怖こわ
い
もの
見み
た
さ
に
チラッ
と
見み
て
しまっ
た
。
Passing by the accident scene, I couldn't help but take a peek out of a fearful curiosity.
Written forms 怖こわ いもの 見み たさ
Standard kanji spelling using 怖い (scary).
恐こわ いもの 見み たさ
Variant using 恐い, also meaning scary; less common but acceptable.
怖こわ い 物もの 見み たさ
Variant using 物 (thing) instead of もの; slightly more formal or written style.
恐こわ い 物もの 見み たさ
Rare combination of 恐い and 物; not commonly encountered.
Kanji 怖 dreadful, be frightened, fearful Similar words 好こう 奇き 心しん 好奇心 is general curiosity, while 怖いもの見たさ specifically refers to the urge to see something frightening or unpleasant.
野や 次じ 馬うま 野次馬 refers to onlookers or rubberneckers, often at accidents or incidents, driven by a similar morbid curiosity, but 怖いもの見たさ focuses on the internal feeling rather than the act of gathering.
Etymology Compound of 怖い (scary) + もの (thing) + 見たさ (desire to see, from 見たい). Literally 'the desire to see scary things'. The exact origin is uncertain, but it is a natural Japanese formation expressing a common psychological phenomenon.
