Japanese

がる

こわがる
Meaning: to be afraid of; to fear; to be frightened
Part of Speech: Verb

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Verb inflections

Form Affirmative Negative
Present 怖がる 怖がらない
Polite 怖がります 怖がりません
Past 怖がった 怖がらなかった
Polite + Past 怖がりました 怖がりませんでした
Te-form 怖がって 怖がらなくて
Potential 怖がれる 怖がれない
Passive 怖がられる 怖がられない
Causative 怖がらせる 怖がらせない
Causative + Passive 怖がらされる 怖がらされない
Imperative 怖がれ 怖がるな

Handwriting

怖
が
る

Example sentences

Children are often afraid of dark places.
子供は怖がって母親にしがみついた
The child was scared and clung to their mother.
彼は弱虫だから、暗い場所を怖がっている。
He is a coward, so he is afraid of dark places.

Usage Notes

Used when someone shows signs of being afraid. Formed from the adjective 'kowai' (scary) + 'garu' (to show signs of feeling). It is generally used to describe the outward behavior or feelings of others.

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