音読み: キョウ
訓読み: おそれる
画数: 10
部首: こころ（心）
Meaning
Fear / Dread / Awe / Be Afraid
- Basic forms
- 恐れる — fear; dread / base form
- 恐れます — fears; dreads / masu form
- 恐れた — feared; dreaded / ta form
- 恐れて — fearing … / te form
- 恐れない — do not fear / negative
- 恐れれば — if (one) fears / conditional
- Common expressions
- 失敗を恐れる — fear failure
- 結果を恐れる — dread the outcome
- 神を恐れる — fear (revere) the gods
- More
- 恐れている — is fearing; is dreading / state
恐れる（おそれる） is an ichidan transitive verb. It expresses fear, dread, or apprehension, and can also imply respectful awe depending on context.
- 恐れる — to fear / be afraid
- 恐ろしい — dreadful / terrifying
- 恐怖 — fear / terror
- 恐慌 — panic
- 恐喝 — extortion / intimidation
- 恐縮 — (to be) obliged / feel humbled
- 恐竜 — dinosaur
With 心 at the base, 恐 centers on the heart’s reaction—tightening, drawing back, standing in awe. The On-reading キョウ shows up across common words (恐怖・恐慌・恐縮). As a verb, 恐れる covers both “to fear” and respectful “to be in awe.”