Use 怖がる to describe someone showing fear in everyday situations.
The idea
怖がる is a godan verb formed from 怖い. It describes fear as observable behaviour; mark what is feared with を. 怖がっている describes an ongoing state.
| Dictionary form | Polite non-past | Polite negative | Polite past | て form |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 怖がる | 怖がります | 怖がりません | 怖がりました | 怖がって |
Examples
- 子供は犬を怖がっています。The child is afraid of dogs.
- 妹は暗い所を怖がっています。My younger sister is afraid of the dark.
- 猫は大きな音を怖がって逃げました。The cat got scared by the loud noise and ran away.
- あの子は歯医者を怖がりません。That child is not afraid of the dentist.
- 子供たちは怖い映画の間、怖がっていました。The children were scared during the scary film.
- 怖がっている子供をからかわないでください。Please do not tease a child who is afraid.
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Watch out
For your own immediate feeling, 怖い is usually more natural. 怖がる often describes another person or animal based on outward signs.
Try it yourself
怖がる → ます
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怖がります
怖がります is the polite non-past: the final る changes to り before ます.
怖がる → て
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怖がって
怖がって is the て form: godan verbs ending in る take って.
子供は犬＿怖がっています。（を／に）
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を
を marks the dog as what the child fears.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Japanese sentences where available. We keep your score.
怖がる → ます
怖がる → て
子供は犬＿怖がっています。（を／に）
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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Describe someone afraid of an animal, then change the sentence to the polite past.