怖おじる

お

じ

る

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

ichidan verb, intransitive verb

be scared; be frightened; be intimidated

Intransitive verb describing a feeling of fear or intimidation, often in response to a person, situation, or thing. Commonly used in the negative form 怖じない (not scared) or in set phrases like 怖じ気づく (lose one's nerve).

彼かれはどんな相あい手てにも怖おじない。
He is not scared of any opponent.

新あたら

しい

環かん

境きょう

に

怖お

じる

こと

なく

、

積せっ

極きょく

的てき

に

行こう

動どう

し

た

。

Without being intimidated by the new environment, he acted proactively.

Written forms

怖おじるUsage67%
Standard kanji spelling for 'to be scared'.
おじるUsage33%
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially when the kanji is not needed.

Kanji

怖dreadful, be frightened, fearful

Similar words

怖こわがる
怖がる is a transitive verb meaning 'to be scared of something' and takes an object marked with を, while 怖じる is intransitive and describes the state of being scared without a direct object.
恐おそれる
恐れる is a more formal and stronger word for 'fear' or 'dread', often used in serious contexts, while 怖じる is milder and more about being intimidated or losing nerve.

Etymology

Derived from the classical verb 怖づ (おづ), which meant 'to be afraid'. The modern form 怖じる is an ichidan verb. The kanji 怖 carries the meaning of 'fear' or 'dread'.