怖おじける

お

じ

け

る

Meanings

1

ichidan verb, intransitive verb

be afraid; be frightened; be scared; tremble in fear; shrink in fear

Describes a state of being frightened or intimidated, often with a nuance of shrinking back or trembling. Used for both physical and emotional fear.

彼かれは大おおきな犬いぬにおじけて、後うしろに下さがった。
He was frightened by the big dog and stepped back.

初はじめての発はっ表ぴょうでおじけてしまい、声こえが震ふるえた。

I got scared during my first presentation and my voice trembled.

Written forms

怖おじけるUsage5%
Standard kanji spelling; the じ is often written explicitly.
おじけるUsage81%
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially when the kanji is not needed.
怖おじけるUsage14%
Alternate spelling without じ; less common but still encountered.

Kanji

怖dreadful, be frightened, fearful

Similar words

怖こわがる
怖がる is a transitive godan verb meaning 'to be afraid of' and takes an object marked with を, while 怖じける is intransitive and describes the state of being frightened without a direct object.
怯おびえる
怯える also means 'to be frightened' but often implies a more visible or panicked reaction; 怖じける can suggest a quieter, shrinking fear.

Etymology

Derived from 怖じ (oji, 'fear', from verb 怖じる) + ける (suffix indicating a state or tendency). The exact historical development is uncertain, but the word is related to the older verb 怖じる.