怖い
こわい
scary, afraid
By Nihongo PathUpdated
Examples
犬が怖いです。
いぬがこわいです。
I'm afraid of dogs.
夜の道は怖いです。
よるのみちはこわいです。
The road at night is scary.
怖い映画はあまり見たくありません。
こわいえいがはあまりみたくありません。
I don't really want to watch scary movies.
Common patterns
- 怖くなる
- to get scared
- 怖い顔
- a frightening face
- 〜が怖い
- to be afraid of...
Often confused with
Memory tip
The same adjective serves for 'scary' (the thing) and 'afraid' (you), with the feared thing marked by が. 恐ろしい is the heavier, more literary cousin.
Kanji in this word
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What does 怖い mean?