恐怖 vs 恐れ – Picking your Japanese Word for Fear
恐怖 is one Japanese word for fear and 恐れ is another. They mean the same thing except 恐れ can also mean a possibility of something happening.
INDEX
恐れ
恐れ is the noun form of the verb 恐れる. As a verb, it can mean to fear or be afraid of something:
失敗を恐れるな
don’t fear failure
恐れ does mean fear but it also has an element of prediction to it. Meaning 恐れ shows up in sentences to show there is a possibility or some worry that something will happen.
https://japaneseuniverse.com/2024/02/18/pac-man-in-japaneseconcepts-behind-development-to-global-icon/
雨が降る恐れがある
there is a possibility it may rain
Above, 恐れ does not mean that someone is hiding in the corner and shaking out of fear. No, it just means that it might rain. In addition to the possibility of raining, the event is seen as something that is undesirable or inconvenient.
恐怖
The next Japanese word for fear is 恐怖. This word is similar as it does not include the possibility in its definition. The following sentence would be incorrect unless you were generally terrified of rain:
✖雨が降る恐怖がある
I am afraid of it raining (I have fear of it raining)
The English word fear feels to me like it is closer to the word 恐怖. If you need to pick one word to translate fear from English to Japanese then 恐怖 would be closest in a lot of situations.
