Meet 怖 in words for fear and frightening things. Learn each reading with the complete word.
The idea
怖 has 8 strokes; follow the linked stroke-order diagram. 怖い（こわい） is an i-adjective, 怖がる（こわがる） describes showing fear, and 恐怖（きょうふ） is a noun.
| Word | Reading | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 怖い | こわい | I heard a scary story. |
| 怖がる | こわがる | The child is afraid of the dog. |
| 恐怖 | きょうふ | He felt fear. |
Examples
- 怖い話を聞きました。I heard a scary story.
- 私は高い所が怖いです。I am afraid of high places.
- 子供が犬を怖がっています。The child is afraid of the dog.
- 彼は恐怖を感じました。He felt fear.
- 怖くて眠れませんでした。I was too scared to sleep.
- 怖がらないで、私がいます。Don’t be afraid; I am here.
Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.
No Japanese device voice is available. You can still read the text and use the linked listening resources.
Watch out
怖い can describe something frightening or how the speaker feels. For another person’s observable fear, 怖がっている is often appropriate; do not read 怖 as こわ in every compound.
Try it yourself
Write the reading of 怖い in hiragana.
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こわい
怖い is こわい: the final い belongs to the adjective.
Write the reading of 恐怖 in hiragana.
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きょうふ
恐怖 is きょうふ; 怖 is read ふ in this compound.
Choose the missing kanji: 恐＿（きょうふ）［怖／近］.
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怖
怖 completes 恐怖（きょうふ）, the noun for fear.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Japanese sentences where available. We keep your score.
Write the reading of 怖い in hiragana.
Write the reading of 恐怖 in hiragana.
Choose the missing kanji: 恐＿（きょうふ）［怖／近］.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
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Write 怖 using the diagram, then cover the readings and make a sentence with 怖い or 恐怖.