Kanji 怖 dreadful, be frightened, fearful Related words 無む 謀ぼう 無謀 emphasizes thoughtless recklessness, while 怖いもの知らず can imply courage or fearlessness as well as recklessness.
大だい 胆たん 大胆 means bold or daring, usually with a positive connotation, whereas 怖いもの知らず can be negative (foolhardy).
Written forms 怖こわ いもの 知し らず
Standard kanji spelling using もの in kana.
怖こわ い 物もの 知し らず
Variant with 物 for もの ; less common but still seen.
Etymology Compound of 怖い (scary) + もの (thing) + 知らず (not knowing), literally 'not knowing scary things'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the phrase has been used idiomatically to mean 'fearless' or 'reckless'.
Report an issue with this page
Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.