Meaning
可怕 describes something that causes fear or terror. It can refer to physically frightening things like horror movies or dangerous situations, but also extends to things that are terrible or alarming in a more abstract sense, such as frightening consequences or terrible situations.
Usage
Native speakers use 可怕 frequently in everyday conversation to describe anything from mildly scary to genuinely terrifying. It's suitable for both spoken and written contexts. Can be intensified with 很 (hěn), 太 (tài), or 真 (zhēn). Often appears in the pattern '真可怕' (zhēn kě pà - 'how scary/terrible!').
Examples
- 01昨天晚上我看了一部很可怕的电影。.Last night I watched a very scary movie.
- 02这次地震造成的破坏太可怕了。.The destruction caused by this earthquake was too terrible.
Characters
Common collocations
- 真可怕really scary/terrible
- 太可怕了too scary/terrible
- 可怕的事情frightening thing/matter
- 最可怕的是the most frightening thing is
Antonyms
Origin
The word literally means 'able to be feared' or 'worthy of fear,' combining 可 (indicating possibility or capability) with 怕 (fear). This structure is common in Chinese adjectives formed from verbs.