恐 kǒng — afraid; frightened; to fear
我恐怕赶不上这趟火车了。Wǒ kǒng pà gǎn bu shàng zhè tàng huǒ chē le.I am afraid I will not catch this train.
Common words: 恐怕 (kǒng pà)、恐怖 (kǒng bù)、恐惧 (kǒng jù)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "afraid"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "afraid", including 恐 (kǒng), 怖 (bù), 怯 (qiè). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "afraid" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 恐 (kǒng), 怖 (bù), 怯 (qiè) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span kǒng, bù, qiè — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 恐 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 恐 kǒngafraid; frightened; to fearUseful words: 恐怕, 恐怖
- 怖 bùterror; terrified; afraid; frightenedUseful words: 恐怖, 惊怖
- 怯 qièafraid; rusticUseful words: 胆怯, 怯生
Common words for these 3 "afraid" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 恐 (kǒng) — so "afraid" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
恐怕kǒng pàfear; to dread; I'm afraid that...; perhaps恐怖kǒng bùterrible; frightful; frightening; terror恐惧kǒng jùto be frightened; fear; dread恐怖kǒng bùterrible; frightful; frightening; terror惊怖jīng bùto surprise恐怖片kǒng bù piànhorror movie胆怯dǎn qiètimidity; timid; cowardly怯生qiè shēngshy怯子qiè ziperson with country accent; rustic; country bumpkin
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "afraid".
怖 bù — terror; terrified; afraid; frightened
这部恐怖电影把我吓得不敢看。Zhè bù kǒng bù diàn yǐng bǎ wǒ xià de bù gǎn kàn.This horror movie scared me so much I dared not watch.
Common words: 恐怖 (kǒng bù)、惊怖 (jīng bù)、恐怖片 (kǒng bù piàn)
怯 qiè — afraid; rustic
第一次上台表演，她有些胆怯。Dì yī cì shàng tái biǎo yǎn, tā yǒu xiē dǎn qiè.Performing on stage for the first time, she was a bit timid.
Common words: 胆怯 (dǎn qiè)、怯生 (qiè shēng)、怯子 (qiè zi)
All 3 characters
Open 恐、怖、怯 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.