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dreadful, fear

JLPT N3 8 strokes
Kun'yomi
こわ.い・こわ.がる・お.じる・おそ.れる
On'yomi
フ・ホ
Radical
· heart (heart, mind, feeling)

怖 means "dreadful, fear". It is a JLPT N3 kanji written in 8 strokes. It is read こわ.い・こわ.がる・お.じる・おそ.れる in native Japanese words (kun'yomi) and フ・ホ in compounds (on'yomi). It is taught beyond elementary school (junior high and up).

怖 in example sentences

  • わたしこわい!

    Watashi, kowai!

    I'm scared.

  • こわくないの?

    Kowaku nai no?

    Aren't you afraid?

  • わたしこわいの?

    Watashi ga kowai no?

    Are you afraid of me?

Example sentences from the Tatoeba Project, licensed CC-BY 2.0 FR.

Stroke order & writing

Want more? Practice writing from memory. Stroke-order and animation sources are on our credits page.

Words that use 怖

More (heart) kanji

Common questions

What does the kanji 怖 mean?
怖 means "dreadful, fear". It is a JLPT N3 kanji.
How many strokes does 怖 have?
怖 is written in 8 strokes.
How is 怖 read?
It is read こわ.い・こわ.がる・お.じる・おそ.れる in native Japanese words (kun'yomi) and フ・ホ in compounds (on'yomi).
What JLPT level is 怖?
怖 is a JLPT N3 kanji.