Onyomi: キョウ · Kunyomi: おそ.る, おそ.れる, おそ.ろしい, こわ.い, こわ.がる · Meanings: awe, dread, fear
Kanji for awe, dread, fear
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The kanji 恐 is built from 工 and 巩 (a form meaning “to grip tightly”) combined with 心 (heart). Long ago, scribes imagined fear as the feeling of your chest tightening—your heart being “gripped” by something you cannot control. 工 symbolized something rigid or forceful, and the older form 巩 suggested holding something in a firm, tense grasp. Placed above the heart (心), it created the image of a heart squeezed by tension or shock. This powerful picture of a heart seized by fear eventually became the character for “fear,” “dread,” or “to be afraid.”
恐 shows a heart (心) being gripped tightly and suddenly—capturing the feeling of fear tightening in your chest.
Imagine your heart (心) being squeezed by a sudden, rigid force (工) when something scares you. That tight, shocked feeling is 恐.
| Word | Reading | Meaning | Meta |
|---|---|---|---|
| 怖 | こわ | frightening, terrifying | |
| 畏 | かしこ | yours sincerely, respectfully yours | Expressions (phrases, clauses, etc.) |
| 恐怖 | きょうふ | fear, dread, dismay, terror, horror, scare, panic | common JLPT-N3 Noun, Suru verb, Transitive verb, Intransitive verb |
| 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) |
| 恐らく | おそらく | probably, (most) likely, in all likelihood, I suspect, I dare say, I'm afraid | common JLPT-N3 JLPT-N1 Adverb (fukushi) |
| 恐縮 | きょうしゅく | feeling (much) obliged, being (very) grateful, being thankful | common JLPT-N2 Noun, Suru verb, Intransitive verb |
| 恐れ | おそれ | fear, horror, anxiety, concern, uneasiness, reverence | common JLPT-N1 Noun |
| 恐竜 | きょうりゅう | dinosaur | common Noun |