adverb, adverb taking the 'to' particle
fearfully; timidly; nervously; cautiously
Describes doing something while feeling afraid or anxious, often with hesitation. Frequently used with verbs like する, 見る, 触る, 入る.
He fearfully entered the dark room.
She nervously tried cooking for the first time.
こわごわ implies cautious action taken despite fear, whereas おずおず emphasizes shy hesitation and diffidence.
Standard kanji spelling using the repetition mark 々.
Kana spelling; common in informal writing.
Alternate kanji spelling; 怖 is more directly associated with fear.
Non-repetition-mark spelling; less common.
Non-repetition-mark spelling; less common.
Reduplication of 怖い (こわい, 'scary') with the adverbial suffix 々, yielding a mimetic adverb meaning 'in a scared manner'.