# 恐 — fear; awe

恐 means “fear; awe”. It is a JLPT N2 kanji written with 10 strokes. On'yomi: キョウ (kyou). Kun'yomi: おそ(れる) (osoreru). You'll see it in words such as 恐れ (osore, “fear; horror”).

- Meaning: fear; awe
- On'yomi: キョウ (kyou)
- Kun'yomi: おそ(れる) (osoreru)
- Strokes: 10
- Level: JLPT N2 · set Feelings 1

## How to remember 恐

Parts: 工 tool; work · 凡 commonplace · 心 heart

## Words with 恐

| Word | Reading | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 恐れ | おそれ (osore) | fear; horror |
| 恐れる | おそれる (osoreru) | to fear; to be afraid of |
| 恐ろしい | おそろしい (osoroshii) | terrible; dreadful |

## More in the “Feelings 1” set

[愛](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/love/) · [喜](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/rejoice/) · [困](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/be-troubled/) · [恐](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/fear/) · [願](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/wish/) · [希](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/aspire/) · [欲](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/desire/) · [笑](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/laugh/)

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From Moji Ninja (https://moji.ninja/), a free app for learning hiragana, katakana and the JLPT kanji from N5 to N1 with spaced repetition. Page: https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/fear/. Last updated 2026-11-01.