Onyomi: フ, ホ · Kunyomi: お.じる, おそ.れる, こわ.い, こわ.がる · Meanings: be frightened, dreadful, fearful
Kanji for be frightened, dreadful, fearful
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The kanji 怖 combines the heart radical 忄 (feelings, emotions) on the left and the character 布 (cloth) on the right. In ancient times, this combination showed the heart being affected by something strong or overwhelming. The cloth (布) originally helped with the sound or meaning, but the main idea is that the heart feels tense or uneasy. Over time, 怖 came to mean fear, fright, or being scared — the feeling when your heart reacts to danger or something threatening.
Combining 忄 (heart) and 布 (phonetic), 怖 shows the heart feeling tense or uneasy — it represents fear, fright, or being scared.
This kanji declares: the heart (忄) feels tight and tense — 怖 means scared. Imagine your heart racing when you see something dangerous or hear a loud noise. Every time you see 怖, think of your heart reacting with fear.
| Word | Reading | Meaning | Meta |
|---|---|---|---|
| 怖 | こわ | frightening, terrifying | |
| 怖い | こわい | scary, frightening, eerie, dreadful | common JLPT-N4 I-adjective (keiyoushi) |
| 恐れる | おそれる | to fear, to be afraid of | common JLPT-N3 Ichidan verb, Transitive verb |
| 恐ろしい | おそろしい | terrible, dreadful, terrifying, frightening | common JLPT-N3 I-adjective (keiyoushi) |
| 恐れ | おそれ | fear, horror, anxiety, concern, uneasiness, reverence | common JLPT-N1 Noun |
| 怖がる | こわがる | to be afraid (of), to fear, to be frightened (of), to be scared (of), to worry (about) | common Godan verb with 'ru' ending, Transitive verb, Intransitive verb |
| 怖い顔 | こわいかお | grim face, angry look | Expressions (phrases, clauses, etc.), Noun |
| 怖ず怖ず | おずおず | timidly, nervously, with nervous diffidence, trembling with fear | Adverb taking the 'to' particle |
| 怖じる | おじる | to be scared | Ichidan verb, Intransitive verb |
| 怖めず臆せず | おめずおくせず | fearlessly | Expressions (phrases, clauses, etc.), Adverb (fukushi) |