Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 害怕 | hàipà |
| 怕 | pà |
Both 害怕 and 怕 are used to describe being impressed with fear, apprehension or being in a state of fear. For a more formal way to describe a deep sense of fear or terror, you can use 恐惧 (kǒngjù).
What does it mean word for word?
The word 害怕 is composed of 害 (hài), meaning to harm or cause and 怕 (pà), meaning to fear.
Which one should you use?
While 害怕 is a full verb often used to describe the state of being afraid, the shorter form 怕 is a more common way to express fear in spoken language, particularly when referring to a specific object or situation.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express that one is not afraid, place the negation 不 directly before the verb to get 不怕 or 不害怕. When using 怕, you do not need a preposition like 'of' to connect it to the object. Simply place the object directly after the verb.
How do you pronounce it?
hàipà
Did you know?
- In Chinese, 怕 can be used to describe a physical sensitivity or intolerance. A person might say they are 怕冷 to mean they 'cannot stand the cold' or are sensitive to low temperatures.
- In casual conversation, 怕 can be used as a hedge to sound more polite or less direct when predicting a negative outcome. This softens the statement so it does not sound like a definitive command or a harsh warning.
- Linguists have found a potential ancient link between the word 怕 and words in other language families, such as the Mizo word phâwk meaning 'to startle' and the Mon word ဖေက် meaning 'to fear'.
Examples in context
- 她害怕丢钱。She's afraid of losing money.This sentence shows how to use 害怕 to express being afraid of losing money.Tatoeba #4147283 by sissima, translation #4144840 by Ricardo14
- 他怕那只狗。He is afraid of the dog.This sentence shows how to use 怕 to express being afraid of a dog.Tatoeba #4649886 by hoyakoh, translation #290760 by CH
- 汤姆不怕死。Tom isn't afraid to die.This sentence shows how to use 怕 to express not being afraid to die.Tatoeba #4761368 by billt_estates, translation #3424308 by CK
- 我害怕黑暗。(Wǒ hàipà hēi'àn.)I'm afraid of the dark.
- 他对蜘蛛感到恐惧。(Tā duì zhīzhū gǎndào kǒngjù.)He feels scared of spiders.
- 我怕鬼。(Wǒ pà guǐ.)I'm scared of ghosts.
- 他听到那声音害怕得要命。(Tā tīngdào nà shēngyīn hàipà de yàomìng.)He got scared to death when he heard that sound.
- 222 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Haoran and Xiaowen are talking about a scary movie.
- 浩然 Haoran你害怕这部电影吗？Nǐ hàipà zhè bù diànyǐng ma?Are you afraid of this movie?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我不害怕，你呢？Wǒ bù hàipà, nǐ ne?I'm not afraid, how about you?
- 浩然 Haoran其实我有点害怕。Qíshí wǒ yǒudiǎn hàipà.Actually, I'm a little afraid.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen没关系，浩然，别担心。Méiguānxì, Hàorán, bié dānxīn.It's okay, Haoran, don't worry.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “afraid” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 怕, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
