可怕

• Pinyin: kě pà
• Hanzi breakdown: 可 (kě) — worthy of; 怕 (pà) — to fear — literally 'worthy of fear'

Meaning

Scary; frightening; terrible. Describes something that causes fear or is alarmingly bad.

Can describe physically frightening things like storms or accidents, as well as situations that are disturbingly serious. Also used as an exclamation to express shock.

Examples

1. 那个电影太可怕了。 That movie was too scary.
2. 昨天的大风很可怕。 Yesterday's strong wind was frightening.
3. 这件事想起来真可怕。 Thinking about this matter is really frightening.

Usage Guide

Context: emotions, reactions, everyday

Tone: alarmed

Do Say

• 好可怕！我不敢看。(So scary! I don't dare to look.)
• 这个地方晚上有点儿可怕。(This place is a bit scary at night.)

Don't Say

• 不要用可怕来形容难吃的东西 (Don't use 可怕 for bad-tasting food — use 难吃 instead; 可怕 implies fear, not disgust)

Origin & History

Compound of 可 (worthy of) and 怕 (to fear). Literally 'worthy of fear,' paralleling the structure of 可爱.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal