Japanese symbol for “afraid”
恟々
きょうきょう
Romaji: kyoukyou
scared; afraid; trembling with fear
In Japanese, afraid is 恟々, read きょうきょう (kyoukyou).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- adj-t, adv-to scared; afraid; trembling with fear
Written forms: 恟々、恟恟. Readings: きょうきょう.
Kanji and stroke order
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 人心恟々 | じんしんきょうきょう jinshinkyoukyou | panic-stricken (people); frightened (masses); alarmed |
| 恟然 | きょうぜん kyouzen | terrified; panicked; horrified |
See also: Chinese symbol for “afraid”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.