畏怖

• Reading: いふ
• Romaji: ifu
• Kanji breakdown: 畏 (i) — awe, reverential fear; 怖 (fu) — fear, dread
• Pronunciation: /i.ɸɯ/

Meaning

Awe; dread; fear and reverence. A primal feeling of reverential terror before something overwhelmingly powerful or sacred.

More intense and visceral than 畏敬, 畏怖 emphasises the fear component alongside reverence, describing the instinctive dread one feels before forces — natural, divine, or cosmic — that utterly dwarf human capacity. Used as a verbal noun (畏怖する) or in the pattern 畏怖を感じる/覚える. Common in philosophical, religious, and literary writing about encounters with the sublime.

Examples

1. 深夜の神社に一人立つと、言い知れぬ畏怖を感じた。 Standing alone at the shrine late at night, she felt an indescribable sense of awe.
2. その書物は、神の存在への畏怖から生まれた宗教詩の傑作だ。 That text is a masterpiece of religious poetry, born from reverential dread of the divine.
3. 自然の猛威の前に、人は本能的な畏怖を覚えずにはいられない。 Before the fury of nature, one cannot help but feel an instinctive sense of awe.

Usage Guide

Context: religion, philosophy, nature, literature

Tone: solemn

Origin & History

Sino-Japanese compound. 畏 (i) means awe or reverential fear, 怖 (fu) means fear or dread. Together they express primal, reverential terror — a fear mingled with respect for something vastly powerful or sacred, beyond human control.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical

Generation: Adults

Social background: Educated