Japanese symbol for “startling”
恐ろしい
おそろしい
Romaji: osoroshii
terrible; dreadful; terrifying; frightening
In Japanese, startling is 恐ろしい, read おそろしい (osoroshii).
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-i terrible; dreadful; terrifying; frightening
- adj-i surprising; startling; tremendous; amazing
Written forms: 恐ろしい、怖ろしい、畏ろしい. Readings: おそろしい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “startling”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 驚天動地 | きょうてんどうち kyoutendouchi | astounding; startling; world-shaking |
| 衝撃的 | しょうげきてき shougekiteki | devastating; gut-wrenching; shocking |
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 “startling”.
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.