怖(こわ)がり

こわがり
noun, na-adjective
scaredy-cat; easily frightened person
1. a person who is easily scared; a scaredy-cat; a coward
someone who is frightened easily or afraid of many things
私(わたし)は怖(こわ)がりでホラー映画(えいが)が見(み)られない。
I'm a scaredy-cat and can't watch horror movies.
怖(こわ)がりだけど勇気(ゆうき)を出(だ)してお化(ば)け屋敷(やしき)に入(はい)った。
I'm easily scared, but I gathered my courage and went into the haunted house.
子供(こども)の頃(ころ)は怖(こわ)がりで、暗(くら)い部屋(へや)に一人(ひとり)で入(はい)れなかった。
As a child, I was easily frightened and couldn't go into dark rooms alone.

FORMATION:
怖(こわ)がる (to be scared) + り (nominalizer) → a person who gets scared

GRAMMAR:
Formed from the verb 怖(こわ)がる (to be scared/to fear), using the stem + り pattern that creates a noun describing a person with that tendency.

SIMILAR FORMATIONS:

  • 寂(さび)しがり屋(や) (person who gets lonely easily)
  • 恥(は)ずかしがり屋(や) (shy person)
  • 照(て)れ屋(や) (easily embarrassed person)

Note: 怖(こわ)がり can stand alone, while other similar words often add 屋(や).

RELATED EXPRESSIONS:

  • 臆病(おくびょう) (cowardly, timid)
  • ビビり (scaredy-cat - slang)
  • 小心者(しょうしんもの) (timid person)
general
Added 2026.1.26 13:20 · Revised 2026.2.19 21:32
08000/08342_kowagari