Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 驚恐 / 惊恐 | jīngkǒng |
| 驚慌 / 惊慌 | jīnghuāng |
The terms in this entry describe various states of being afraid or frightened. While 驚恐 / 惊恐 and 驚慌 / 惊慌 are specific descriptors, Mandarin Chinese offers several other ways to express being scared. For general and versatile use, you can use 害怕 (hàipà). In casual conversation, the simpler, more colloquial 怕 (pà) is frequently used. To express a deep, intense sense of dread, the formal term 恐惧 (kǒngjù) is appropriate and for an informal way to say one is 'scared to death', you can use 害怕死了 (hàipà sǐ le).
Which one should you use?
驚恐 / 惊恐 is a stronger term that implies a high degree of terror or a sudden shock. In contrast, 驚慌 / 惊慌 has a behavioral focus, emphasizing a state of being panicked, flustered or losing one's composure due to fear.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Cantonese, the term 驚 (geng1) is used to mean 'scared'.
How do you pronounce it?
jīngkǒng
Did you know?
- In Chinese, the concept of 'scared' is often expressed using the character 怕, which also serves as a verb meaning 'to dislike' or 'to be averse to' certain things, such as 'fearing' the cold.
- In Cantonese, the single character 驚 is used for 'scared', mirroring the first character of the formal Mandarin terms 驚恐 and 驚慌 but functioning as a common everyday adjective.
- The character 驚 / 惊 is used for both 'scared' and 'surprised', reflecting a linguistic connection between fear and sudden shock.
Examples in context
- 我害怕打雷。I'm scared of thunder.
- 他害怕看恐怖电影。He is scared of watching horror movies.
- 他对高处恐惧。He is scared of heights.
- 我怕黑。I'm scared of the dark.
- 他怕考试。He is scared of exams.
- 她听到恐怖故事后害怕死了。She was scared to death after hearing a horror story.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “scared” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
