恐 — “Fear / Dread / Awe” in Japanese

Master (高手)きょう, おそ, こわ

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

“Fear / Dread / Awe” in Japanese is 恐, read kyou, oso, kowa (きょう, おそ, こわ). 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 (fear, terror).

Try it now

What does 恐 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	恐
Meaning	Fear / Dread / Awe
Readings	きょう, おそ, こわ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	恐怖 (fear, terror)

How to read 恐

恐 is read kyou (きょう) or oso (おそ) or kowa (こわ) depending on the word.

Words with 恐

恐怖
恐竜
恐喝

Learn 恐 in real sentences — free

Read stories and news built from only the kanji you already know. KanjiSchool’s path covers all 2,136 Jōyō kanji — 1,018 ready to learn now.

Start free — no credit card →

Kanji read the same way as 恐

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

Updated: 2026-08-28