How to say 'Scary' in Japanese | 怖い

Wondering how to say 'Scary' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Scary is 'Kowai', written as 怖い in Japanese.'Scary' in hiragana is こわい.

word

怖い

Meaning

Scary

Reading

こわい

kowai

Kanji

怖Fearful, Dreadful

Explanation

The Japanese adjective '怖い (こわい)' means 'scary' or 'frightening'. It is used to describe something that causes fear or unease. This can apply to situations, objects, or even people. For example: That movie was scary「あの映画は怖かった」(あのえいがはこわかった). I'm scared of ghosts「幽霊が怖い」(ゆうれいがこわい). The adjective can also express a sense of dread or anxiety, as in 'I'm scared of failing the test (テストに落ちるのが怖い) (テストにおちるのがこわい)'. Note that '怖い' is often used in casual conversation to describe something that is unsettling or intimidating.

Part Of Speech

adjective

Kanji JLPT

Kanji Grade

Frequency

1019

Composition

kanji-hiragana

Handwriting

This word is an i-adjective. To learn how it transforms in different tenses and forms, explore all its conjugations.

Kanji in the Word 怖い

This word contains 1 kanji character:

kanji

怖

Meaning

Fearful, Dreadful

Hiragana in the Word 怖い

This word contains 1 Hiragana character :

hiragana

い

Reading

Words Related to 怖い Through the Kanji 怖

These 2 Words contain the Kanji 怖 as well.

word

恐怖

Meaning

Fear

word

怖がる

Meaning

Fear

Learn the Word 怖い

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What does 'Kowai' (怖い) mean?

'Kowai' means 'Scary' .

To help you master this word, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.