怖い vs 恐ろしい
JLPT N4 vocabulary · what is the difference?
怖い describes your feeling — I am scared of it. 恐ろしい describes the thing itself as dreadful, and it belongs to a more written, dramatic register. Say 犬が怖い for your own fear; say 恐ろしい事故 about a horrific accident.
When to use each
怖い
こわい
The everyday spoken word for fear. Use it with 〜が怖い to name what frightens you, and about anything mildly scary: a dark street, a strict teacher, a horror film.
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.
恐ろしい
おそろしい
Use 恐ろしい to call something dreadful in its own right — a disaster, a crime, a terrible power. It is stronger and more literary, and it is common in news and writing rather than casual chat.
地震は本当に恐ろしいです。
じしんはほんとうにおそろしいです。
Earthquakes are truly terrifying.
恐ろしい事故が起きました。
おそろしいじこがおきました。
A horrific accident happened.
Sentences where only one works
私は虫が怖いです。
わたしはむしがこわいです。
I'm scared of insects.
A personal fear takes 〜が怖い. 虫が恐ろしい would sound as if insects were a menace to humanity.
戦争は恐ろしいものです。
せんそうはおそろしいものです。
War is a dreadful thing.
A judgement about the thing itself, not about your nerves, so 恐ろしい.
先生の顔が怖いです。
せんせいのかおがこわいです。
The teacher's face is scary.
Everyday, half-joking fear — 怖い. 恐ろしい would be far too heavy here.
彼の記憶力は恐ろしいですね。
かれのきおくりょくはおそろしいですね。
His memory is frighteningly good.
恐ろしい can mean "awe-inspiring in scale", a use 怖い does not have.
Common mistakes
犬が恐ろしいです。
犬が怖いです。
For your own everyday fear, native speakers say 怖い. 恐ろしい makes the dog sound like a monster.
そのニュースは怖かったですね。
そのニュースは恐ろしかったですね。
Not ungrammatical, but about a grave news event 恐ろしい fits the register. 怖い makes it sound like a personal jump scare.
Frequently asked questions
Is 恐ろしい just a stronger 怖い?
Partly — it is stronger, but the real difference is direction. 怖い reports your emotion; 恐ろしい judges the thing. That is why 恐ろしい appears in writing and news far more than in conversation.
Which one for a horror movie?
怖い映画 in normal speech. 恐ろしい映画 is possible but sounds like a critic writing about it.
Can I use 恐ろしい as praise?
Yes — 恐ろしいスピード or 恐ろしい才能, meaning "frighteningly impressive". 怖い is not used that way.