Japanese symbol for “horrifying”
恐るべき
おそるべき
Romaji: osorubeki
terrible; terrifying; dreadful; horrible
In Japanese, horrifying is 恐るべき, read おそるべき (osorubeki).
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-f terrible; terrifying; dreadful; horrible; horrifying; appalling
- adj-f astonishing; astounding; staggering; tremendous; awesome; enormous
Written forms: 恐るべき、畏るべき. Readings: おそるべき.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “horrifying”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 悍ましい | おぞましい ozomashii | appalling; horrifying; dreadful |
| 酸鼻 | さんび sanbi | appalling; awful; horrible |
| 惨い | むごい mugoi | tragic; horrible; terrible |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 恐れ | おそれ osore | fear; horror; anxiety |
| 恐怖 | きょうふ kyoufu | fear; dread; dismay |
| 恐ろしい | おそろしい osoroshii | terrible; dreadful; terrifying |
| 恐らく | おそらく osoraku | probably; (most) likely; in all likelihood |
| 恐れる | おそれる osoreru | to fear; to be afraid of |
| 恐竜 | きょうりゅう kyouryuu | dinosaur |
See also: Chinese symbol for “horrifying”.
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.