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可怕 (kě pà) — frightening, scary; terrible, awful

Definition

可怕 describes something that frightens or horrifies you (movies, places, accidents). It focuses on inducing fear, unlike 糟糕 which judges a situation as bad or unlucky.

adjective
frighteningscaryterribleawful

Examples

  • 可怕。
    Zhè bù diàn yǐng tài kě pà le.
    This movie is too scary.
  • 可怕。
    Zuó tiān fā shēng le yí jiàn kě pà de shì gù.
    A terrible accident happened yesterday.
  • 可怕，。
    Nà ge dì fāng zhēn kě pà, wǒ yǐ hòu zài yě bù xiǎng qù le.
    That place is really scary; I never want to go there again.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
前缀qiánzhuìPrefix

A fixed syllable in front that adds a shade of meaning but carries none of its own.

可kěcan/worthy of
怕pàfear

“可” adds a sense of being able or worthy, and “怕” means fear, giving causing fear.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
丂
丂kǎo可kě
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

可 pairs 口 (mouth) with 丂 as a sound part; it is tied to air from the mouth, perhaps singing.

Open 可 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
白
白bái怕pà
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

怕 pairs 心 (heart) with 白, which gives the sound.

Open 怕 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5HSK 2.0 Level 51000 Most Frequent Chinese WordsEmotions & Feelings2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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