Go Pro
怖

怖 — dreadful, be frightened, fearful

Learn the correct stroke order for 怖 (dreadful), a 8-stroke kanji.

JLPT N3Secondary school8 strokes

Stroke Order

12345678
Stroke 0 / 8
On'yomi (音読み)フfu、ホho
Kun'yomi (訓読み)こわ.いkowai、こわ.がるkowagaru、お.じるojiru、おそ.れるosoreru
Strokes8
Radical心
Frequency#1325
Meaningsdreadful, be frightened, fearful

Step-by-Step Diagram

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

Try Writing It

Practice writing each stroke in the correct order and direction. Start from the green dot.

Draw stroke 1 of 8 — start from the green dot

Common Words

恐怖きょうふfear; dread; dismaynoun
怖いこわいscary; frightening; eeriei-adjective
恐怖症きょうふしょうphobia; morbid fearnoun
怖がるこわがるto be afraid (of); to fear; to be frightened (of)verb

Usage & Examples

Usage Notes

The kanji 怖 (dreadful) is part of the secondary school kanji set and appears at JLPT N3 level. It has 8 strokes with radical 心.

In newspaper frequency rankings, 怖 is #1325, making it a moderately common kanji.

Example Words in Context

恐怖きょうふ — fear; dread; dismay
怖いこわい — scary; frightening; eerie
恐怖症きょうふしょう — phobia; morbid fear

Practice Sheet

Trace then write on your own. Print this row as a PDF practice sheet.

Related Kanji

Same radical (心)

心heart必invariably忙busy応apply志intention快cheerful忘forget忍endure

Same reading

反anti-付adhere夫husband負defeat捕catch富wealth婦lady浮floating

Frequently Asked Questions

How many strokes does 怖 have?

The kanji 怖 (dreadful) has 8 strokes. Watch the animation above to see the correct order.

What is the correct stroke order for 怖?

怖 follows the standard Japanese stroke order as taught in schools. Use the step-by-step diagram or the "Try Writing" tool above to practice each stroke in sequence.

What does 怖 mean?

怖 means: dreadful, be frightened, fearful. On'yomi readings: フ, ホ. Kun'yomi readings: こわ.い, こわ.がる, お.じる, おそ.れる.

What JLPT level is 怖?

怖 is a JLPT N3 kanji. This is an intermediate kanji.