怖気おぞけ

also: おじけ

お

ぞ

け

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

A noun expressing a feeling of fear or dread, often with a nuance of creepiness or visceral unease. Commonly used in the phrase 怖気をふるう (to be struck with fear). The reading おぞけ is more common than おじけ.

その話はなしを聞きいて、背せ筋すじに怖気おぞけが走はしった。
Hearing that story sent a shiver of fear down my spine.
暗くら闇やみの中なかで何なにかが動うごいて、怖気おぞけをふるった。
Something moved in the darkness, and I was struck with dread.

See all 21 example sentences ›

Expressions

怖気おぞけを震ふるうbe horrified; be filled with trepidation; shudder with fear

Kanji

怖dreadful, be frightened, fearful
気spirit, mind, air
恐fear, dread, awe

Related words

恐きょう怖ふ
恐怖 is a more general and common word for fear, while 怖気 emphasizes a creepy, visceral shudder of fear.
おっかない
おっかない is an adjective meaning 'scary' or 'frightening', often used in casual speech, whereas 怖気 is a noun describing the feeling of fear itself.

Word family

怖気立おぞけだつ
be horrified; shake with fright; yield to terror

Written forms

怖気Usage55%
- おぞけ
  Standard kanji form for the reading おぞけ. The reading おじけ is also possible but less common.
- おじけ
怖おじ気けUsage36%
Alternate kanji form explicitly indicating the reading おじけ.
おぞけUsage7%
おじけUsage1%
怖おじけ
Mixed kana-kanji spelling for おじけ, sometimes seen in informal writing.
恐気
- おぞけ
  Variant using 恐 instead of 怖; less common and may be considered nonstandard.
- おじけ

Etymology

Compound of 怖 (お, fear) + 気 (け, feeling, sign). The reading おぞけ is likely a euphonic change from おそけ (恐け), while おじけ derives from 怖じ (おじ, fearing) + 気. Both convey a sense of fear or dread.