怖 — Dreadful / Be Frightened / Fearful

Master (高手)ふ, ほ, こわ, お, おそ

Radical ⼼ · radical 61 The building block this kanji is filed under

怖 (readings: ふ, ほ, こわ, お, おそ; Japanese kanji) means “Dreadful / Be Frightened / Fearful”. It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 恐怖 (terror).

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What does 怖 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	怖
Meaning	Dreadful / Be Frightened / Fearful
Readings	ふ, ほ, こわ, お, おそ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	恐怖 (terror)

How to read 怖

怖 is read ふ or ほ or こわ or お or おそ depending on the word.

Words with 怖

恐怖nỗi sợ

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Updated: 2026-07-22