Osoroshii is the Japanese word for ‘terrifying’, explained

What does “osoroshii” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “osoroshii” to mean ‘terrifying’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, novels, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain it together with its major conjugations. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners use “osoroshii” more properly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “osoroshii”
  • Example #1: how to say “terrifying” in Japanese
• Osoroshikunai: the nai form of “osoroshii”
  • Example #2: how to say “not terrifying” in Japanese
• Osoroshikatta: the ta form of “osoroshii”
  • Example #3: how to say “was terrifying” in Japanese
• Osoroshikute: the te form of “osoroshii”
  • Example #4: how to say “terrifying and” in Japanese
• Osoroshikereba: the ba form of “osoroshii”
  • Example #5: how to say “if terrifying” in Japanese
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “osoroshii”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of “osoroshii”.

• osoroshii – 恐ろしい (おそろしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘terrifying’ in Japanese.

The definition and meaning are simple and clear. Then, let me explain how to use this i-adjective through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to say “terrifying” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• obake – お化け (おばけ) : a noun meaning ‘ghost’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “obake” to make the subject in the sentence.

This is a typical usage of “osoroshii”. In this example, it works as the complement in the sentence. Like other adjectives, however, it can also work as a modifier in front of a noun. For example, we can say “osoroshii obake” to mean a ‘terrifying ghost’ in Japanese. It’s worth knowing.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “osoroshii” and how to use it through the example sentence. In the rest part of this blog post, I will explain its major conjugations. The first one is “osoroshikunai”.

Osoroshikunai: the nai form of “osoroshii”

Below are the definition and meaning of “osoroshikunai”.

• osoroshikunai – 恐ろしくない (おそろしくない) : the nai form of “osoroshii”, which means ‘not terrifying’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “osoroshikunai” consists of the following two parts:

• osoroshiku – 恐ろしく (おそろしく) : one conjugation of “osoroshii”. This can have a smooth connection with “nai”.
• nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this auxiliary verb is similar to that of “not”.

From these two parts, we can understand that “osoroshikunai” is literally the nai form of “osoroshii” and means ‘not terrifying’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

Example #2: how to say “not terrifying” in Japanese

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• neko – 猫 (ねこ) : a noun meaning ‘cat’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.

This is a typical usage of “osoroshikunai”. When we want to mean ‘not terrifying’ in Japanese, this nai form is a good option.

Osoroshikatta: the ta form of “osoroshii”

Below are the definition and meanings of “osoroshikatta”.

• osoroshikatta – 恐ろしかった (おそろしかった) : the ta form of “osoroshii”, which means ‘was terrifying’, ‘were terrifying’, or such in Japanese.

Grammatically, “osoroshikatta” consists of the following two parts:

• osoroshikat – 恐ろしかっ (おそろしかっ) : one conjugation of “osoroshii”. This can have a smooth connection with “ta”.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “osoroshikatta” is literally the ta form of “osoroshii” and means ‘was terrifying’, ‘were terrifying’, or such in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

Example #3: how to say “was terrifying” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• ano – あの : a determiner used before a noun which refers to something not close to the speaker. In the example, this is used before “eiga” to say “that movie” in Japanese.
• eiga – 映画 (えいが) : a noun meaning ‘movie’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “ano eiga” to make the subject in the sentence.

This is a typical usage of “osoroshikatta”. When we want to use the past tense form of “osoroshii”, this ta form is the best option.

Osoroshikute: the te form of “osoroshii”

Below are the definition and meaning of “osoroshikute”.

• osoroshikute – 恐ろしくて (おそろしくて) : the te form of “osoroshii”, which means ‘terrifying’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “osoroshikute” consists of the following two parts:

• osoroshiku – 恐ろしく (おそろしく) : one conjugation of “osoroshii”. This can have a smooth connection with “te”.
• te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “osoroshikute” is literally the te form of “osoroshii”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “osoroshikute” is very useful when we want to use “osoroshii” in front of another adjective, a verb, or an auxiliary verb. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #4: how to say “terrifying and” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to make its possessive case, “kanojo no”, which means ‘her’ in Japanese.
• ishou – 衣装 (いしょう) : a noun meaning ‘costume’ or ‘dress’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• kimochiwarui – 気持ち悪い (きもちわるい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘disgusting’ or such in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “osoroshikute”. In the example, it has the smooth connection with “kimochiwarui”. When we want to use “osoroshii” in front of another adjective like this, its te form is useful to make a smooth connection.

Osoroshikereba: the ba form of “osoroshii”

Lastly, let me explain the definition and meaning of “osoroshikereba”.

• osoroshikereba – 恐ろしければ (おそろしければ) : the ba form of “osoroshii”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘terrifying’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “osoroshikereba” consists of the following two parts:

• osoroshikere – 恐ろしけれ (おそろしけれ) : one conjugation of “osoroshii”. This can have a smooth connection with “ba”.
• ba – ば : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its ba form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “osoroshikereba” is literally the ba form of “osoroshii”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “osoroshikereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘terrifying’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #5: how to say “if terrifying” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• heya – 部屋 (へや) : a noun meaning ‘room’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• ni – に : a case particle used to say where someone is. In the example, this is used after “heya” to say where the listener should stay.
• i – 居 (い) : one conjugation of the verb, “iru“, which means ‘to stay’ or just ‘to be’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• te – て : the same as used in “osoroshikute”. In this example, this is used after “i” to make its te form, “i te”. Verbs need to be changed to their te forms to be connected with “kudasai”.
• kudasai – ください : one conjugation of the verb, “kudasaru”, which means ‘to give’ or such in Japanese. When this follows a verb, however, this can work like an auxiliary verb to add the meaning of ‘please’. In the example, this works like an auxiliary verb after “i te” to add the meaning of ‘please’.

This is a typical usage of “osoroshikereba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “obake ga osoroshikereba”, which means ‘if ghosts are terrifying’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘terrifying’ in Japanese, this form is a good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “osoroshii” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• osoroshii – 恐ろしい (おそろしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘terrifying’ in Japanese. This can work as both a modifier and a complement.
• osoroshikunai – 恐ろしくない (おそろしくない) : the nai form of “osoroshii”, which means ‘not terrifying’ in Japanese.
• osoroshikatta – 恐ろしかった (おそろしかった) : the ta form of “osoroshii”, which means ‘was terrifying’, ‘were terrifying’, or such in Japanese.
• osoroshikute – 恐ろしくて (おそろしくて) : the te form of “osoroshii”, which means ‘terrifying’ in Japanese. When we want to use “osoroshii” in front of another adjective, this te form is useful to make a smooth connection.
• osoroshikereba – 恐ろしければ (おそろしければ) : the ba form of “osoroshii”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘terrifying’ in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.