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怖い

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

Japanese

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Kanji in this term
こわ
Grade: S
kun'yomi
Alternative spelling
恐い

Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Semantic shift from Classical Japanese 強し (kofashi, stiff; strong; tough), modern 強い (kowai).[1][2] A folk etymology from the Ehon Hyaku Monogatari derives it from 狐者異 (kowai, literally ghost of a glutton).

Pronunciation

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  • Tokyo pitch accent of inflected forms of 「怖い
Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary
Stem forms
Continuative (連用形) 怖く わく
[kóꜜwàkù]
[kòwáꜜkù]
Terminal (終止形) 怖い [kòwáꜜì]
Attributive (連体形) 怖い [kòwáꜜì]
Key constructions
Informal negative 怖くない わくない
くない
[kóꜜwàkùnàì]
[kòwáꜜkùnàì]
Informal past 怖かった わかった
かった
[kóꜜwàkàttà]
[kòwáꜜkàttà]
Informal negative past 怖くなかった わくなかった
くなかった
[kóꜜwàkùnàkàttà]
[kòwáꜜkùnàkàttà]
Formal 怖いです いです [kòwáꜜìdèsù]
Conjunctive 怖くて わくて
くて
[kóꜜwàkùtè]
[kòwáꜜkùtè]
Conditional 怖ければ わければ
ければ
[kóꜜwàkèrèbà]
[kòwáꜜkèrèbà]

Adjective

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(こわ) (kowaiこはい (kofai)?-i (adverbial (こわ) (kowaku))

  1. frightening, scary, terrifying
    Synonym: (Hakata dialect) えずい (ezui)
    (ゆう)(れい)(こわ)
    Yūrei wa kowai.
    Ghosts are frightening.
  2. frightened, scared, afraid
    Synonyms: 恐ろしい (osoroshii), おっかない (okkanai)
    あとが(こわ)
    ato ga kowai
    afraid of the consequences
  3. creepy for its mysterious ability
    (しゅう)(かん)とは(こわ)ものだ。
    Shūkan to wa kowai mono da.
    Habits can be scary.
    (literally, “Habits are a scary thing.”)

Inflection

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Derived terms

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References

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  1. ^ Weblio 古語辞典:こはし
  2. ^ 怖い”, in デジタル大辞泉 [Digital Daijisen]‎[1] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, updated roughly every four months