kěpà: 可怕 - Scary, Frightening, Awful

• Keywords: kepa, 可怕, scary in Chinese, frightening in Chinese, terrible, awful, horrible, how to say scary in Mandarin, Chinese adjective for fear, HSK 3 vocabulary.
• Summary: 可怕 (kěpà) is a fundamental Chinese adjective meaning “scary,” “frightening,” or “dreadful.” It's an essential HSK 3 word used to describe anything that causes fear, from horror movies to dangerous situations. Beyond its literal meaning, 可怕 is also widely used colloquially to mean “awful” or “terrible,” emphasizing the extreme or overwhelming nature of something, like terrible traffic or a frighteningly large amount of work. Understanding 可怕 is key to expressing fear and exaggeration in everyday Chinese conversation.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): kěpà
• Part of Speech: Adjective
• HSK Level: HSK 3
• Concise Definition: Causing fear; scary, frightening, or terrible.
• In a Nutshell: 可怕 (kěpà) is the go-to word for describing something that is objectively scary. Think of a growling dog, a tall cliff, or a ghost story—these things are 可怕. It's also frequently used as an intensifier in casual speech to mean “awful” or “terrible,” much like an English speaker might say “The heat today is frightening” to mean it's extremely hot, not that they are literally afraid of the heat.

• 可 (kě): This character means “can,” “-able,” or “worthy of.” It acts as a prefix that turns the following character's meaning into a potential or quality. For example, in 可爱 (kě'ài - cute), it means “worthy of love.”
• 怕 (pà): This character is a verb that means “to fear” or “to be afraid of.”

When combined, 可 (kě) + 怕 (pà) literally means “fear-able” or “worthy of being feared.” This clear construction makes it easy to remember: something is 可怕 if it has the quality that can cause fear.

The emotion of fear is universal, but what is considered 可怕 can be culturally specific. In Chinese culture, this might include:

• Ghosts and Spirits (鬼, guǐ): Traditional stories and modern media are rich with tales of ghosts, which are a common source of fear. The concept of a “hungry ghost” is particularly prevalent.
• Superstitions: Certain numbers, like 4 (四, sì), are considered 可怕 because its pronunciation is very close to the word for death (死, sǐ). This is why many buildings in China skip the 4th floor.
• Comparison to English: While English has a wide range of words for fear (scary, creepy, spooky, terrifying, horrifying), 可怕 is a very versatile and common term that covers most of this spectrum. It's most similar to “scary” or “frightening.” To express different degrees of fear, Chinese speakers typically add adverbs, such as:
  • 有点儿可怕 (yǒudiǎnr kěpà) - a little bit scary
  • 很可怕 (hěn kěpà) - very scary
  • 非常可怕 (fēicháng kěpà) - extremely scary / terrifying
  • 太可怕了 (tài kěpà le) - too scary! / that's horrifying!

This reliance on adverbs rather than different core adjectives is a common pattern in Mandarin.

可怕 is an extremely common adjective used in various situations, ranging from genuine fear to casual exaggeration.

This is the primary use. It's used for things that are objectively frightening.

• Horror Movies (恐怖电影, kǒngbù diànyǐng)
• Dangerous animals or insects
• Threatening situations or people
• Scary stories or legends

In daily conversation, 可怕 is frequently used to emphasize the extreme degree of something negative or overwhelming. In this context, it translates better as “awful,” “terrible,” or “insane.”

• Traffic: “今天的交通太可怕了！” (The traffic today is terrible!)
• Workload: “这个星期有可怕的工作量。” (There's a frightening amount of work this week.)
• Speed/Amount: “他吃饭的速度太可怕了。” (The speed he eats at is insane.)
• Weather: “外面的风声很可怕。” (The sound of the wind outside is awful.)

The connotation in this usage isn't true fear, but rather a strong emphasis on the intensity of the situation.

• Example 1:
• 这部恐怖电影太可怕了，我不敢看。
• Pinyin: Zhè bù kǒngbù diànyǐng tài kěpà le, wǒ bù gǎn kàn.
• English: This horror movie is too scary, I don't dare to watch it.
• Analysis: A classic, literal use of 可怕 to describe something designed to be scary. The phrase “太…了” (tài…le) is used for emphasis.
• Example 2:
• 一个人在森林里迷路是非常可怕的经历。
• Pinyin: Yí ge rén zài sēnlín lǐ mílù shì fēicháng kěpà de jīnglì.
• English: Getting lost alone in the forest is a very frightening experience.
• Analysis: Here, 可怕 describes a situation (经历, jīnglì - experience) that causes genuine fear. 非常 (fēicháng) means “very” or “extremely.”
• Example 3:
• 你不觉得这个地方安静得可怕吗？
• Pinyin: Nǐ bù juéde zhège dìfang ānjìng de kěpà ma?
• English: Don't you think this place is frighteningly quiet?
• Analysis: This sentence uses the “adjective + 得 (de) + complement” structure. “安静得可怕” means “so quiet it's scary,” showing how 可怕 can be used to describe the degree of another adjective.
• Example 4:
• 昨天晚上的雷声真可怕。
• Pinyin: Zuótiān wǎnshang de léishēng zhēn kěpà.
• English: The sound of the thunder last night was really scary.
• Analysis: A straightforward description of a natural phenomenon that can cause fear.
• Example 5:
• 他看我的眼神很可怕，好像要吃了我一样。
• Pinyin: Tā kàn wǒ de yǎnshén hěn kěpà, hǎoxiàng yào chīle wǒ yíyàng.
• English: The look in his eyes was very frightening, as if he wanted to eat me.
• Analysis: 可怕 can describe abstract things like a “look” (眼神, yǎnshén). The second clause explains why it was scary.
• Example 6:
• 高峰时段的地铁里人多得可怕。
• Pinyin: Gāofēng shíduàn de dìtiě lǐ rén duō de kěpà.
• English: The subway during rush hour is terribly crowded. (Literally: “crowded to a scary degree”)
• Analysis: This is a perfect example of colloquial exaggeration. The speaker isn't afraid of the people, but is using 可怕 to emphasize the extreme level of crowding.
• Example 7:
• 想到失败的可怕后果，他就睡不着觉。
• Pinyin: Xiǎngdào shībài de kěpà hòuguǒ, tā jiù shuì bu zháo jiào.
• English: He can't sleep when he thinks about the terrible consequences of failure.
• Analysis: This shows a more serious and formal use of 可怕, describing abstract “consequences” (后果, hòuguǒ).
• Example 8:
• 这种疾病的传播速度是可怕的。
• Pinyin: Zhè zhǒng jíbìng de chuánbō sùdù shì kěpà de.
• English: The transmission speed of this disease is frightening.
• Analysis: Used in a serious, almost technical context to emphasize the alarming speed of something.
• Example 9:
• 我孩子的成绩单太可怕了，我得跟他谈谈。
• Pinyin: Wǒ háizi de chéngjìdān tài kěpà le, wǒ děi gēn tā tántan.
• English: My kid's report card is awful, I have to have a talk with him.
• Analysis: Another colloquial use. The report card isn't scary in a horror-movie sense, but its poor quality is “terrible” or “dreadful” to the parent.
• Example 10:
• 别用那么可怕的口气跟我说话！
• Pinyin: Bié yòng nàme kěpà de kǒuqì gēn wǒ shuōhuà!
• English: Don't speak to me in such a horrible tone of voice!
• Analysis: Here, 可怕 describes a “tone of voice” (口气, kǒuqì), implying it's aggressive, threatening, or extremely unpleasant.

The most common mistake for English speakers is confusing 可怕 (kěpà) with 害怕 (hàipà).

• 可怕 (kěpà) is an adjective that describes a thing, person, or situation that CAUSES fear. It is an external quality.
  • `这只狗很可怕。` (Zhè zhī gǒu hěn kěpà.) - This dog is scary. (Describes the dog).
• 害怕 (hàipà) is a verb or stative verb that describes the FEELING of being scared. It is an internal emotion.
  • `我很害怕这只狗。` (Wǒ hěn hàipà zhè zhī gǒu.) - I am very scared of this dog. (Describes my feeling).

CRITICAL MISTAKE TO AVOID:

• Incorrect: `我很可怕。` (Wǒ hěn kěpà.)
• Why it's wrong: This sentence means “I am a very scary person.” You are describing yourself as the source of fear. Unless you are intentionally trying to be threatening, this is incorrect.
• Correct: `我很害怕。` (Wǒ hěn hàipà.) - “I am very scared.”

Think of it this way: The horror movie is 可怕 (kěpà), so you feel 害怕 (hàipà).

• 害怕 (hàipà) - To be scared; afraid. The internal feeling of fear, as opposed to 可怕 which is the external quality that causes it.
• 恐怖 (kǒngbù) - Terror; horror. More intense than 可怕. Often used for genres (e.g., 恐怖电影 - horror movie) or abstract concepts (e.g., 恐怖主义 - terrorism).
• 吓人 (xiàrén) - To frighten people; scary. A verb-object phrase (“scare-person”) that functions as an adjective, very similar in meaning and usage to 可怕, but perhaps slightly more colloquial.
• 恐惧 (kǒngjù) - Fear; dread. A more formal and psychological term for fear, often used as a noun.
• 糟糕 (zāogāo) - Awful; terrible; a mess. This is an important alternative. Use 糟糕 for situations that are bad or have gone wrong, but don't necessarily involve fear or intensity. (e.g., “My exam was awful (糟糕),” not “My exam was scary (可怕)”).
• 恶心 (ěxīn) - Disgusting; nauseating. Describes a feeling of revulsion, which can be a type of “awful” but is distinct from fear.
• 胆小 (dǎnxiǎo) - Timid; cowardly. Literally “small-gallbladder,” as the gallbladder was traditionally seen as the seat of courage. Describes a person who is easily made to feel 害怕.
• 鬼 (guǐ) - Ghost; spirit. A common subject that is considered 可怕 in Chinese culture.