恐(おそ)れ

おそれ
noun
fear; anxiety; risk
See also: 恐(おそ)れる (verb form), 恐(おそ)ろしい (adjective form)
1. fear; dread; fright
A feeling of being afraid of something.
失敗(しっぱい)への恐(おそ)れがある。
I have a fear of failure.
恐(おそ)れを克服(こくふく)する。
To overcome one's fears.
知(し)らない人(ひと)に話(はな)しかけるのに恐(おそ)れを感(かん)じる。
I feel fear about talking to strangers.
2. risk; possibility (of something bad)
The possibility that something undesirable might happen.
地震(じしん)の恐(おそ)れがある。
There's a risk of an earthquake.
台風(たいふう)で停電(ていでん)の恐(おそ)れがある。
There's a risk of power outages from the typhoon.
明日(あした)は大雪(おおゆき)の恐(おそ)れがあるため、外出(がいしゅつ)を控(ひか)えてください。
There is a risk of heavy snow tomorrow, so please refrain from going out.

恐(おそ)れ has two main uses: emotional fear (sense 1) and the risk/possibility of something bad (sense 2). Sense 2 is especially common in news and weather reports.

COMMON PATTERNS:

  • ～の恐(おそ)れがある: there is a risk of ～ (very common in news)
  • 恐(おそ)れを抱(いだ)く: to harbor fear
  • 恐(おそ)れを克服(こくふく)する: to overcome fear
  • 恐(おそ)れを感(かん)じる: to feel fear

SPECIAL EXPRESSION:
恐(おそ)れ入(い)りますが is a very polite set phrase meaning "excuse me, but..." or "I'm sorry to trouble you, but..." It is unrelated to fear.

RELATED WORDS:

  • 恐(おそ)れる: to fear (verb form)
  • 恐(おそ)ろしい: frightening, terrible
  • 恐怖(きょうふ): fear, terror (stronger, more visceral)
  • 不安(ふあん): anxiety, worry (milder than 恐(おそ)れ)

Related Words

Synonym: 恐怖(きょうふ) (fear, terror (stronger))
Related: 不安(ふあん) (anxiety (milder))
general
Added 2026.1.16 14:48 · Revised 2026.4.14 12:22
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