Character breakdown
Study each Hanzi separately, then return to the complete word so pronunciation, meaning, and movement stay connected.
How to learn 恐怖
Listen once without reading, repeat the pinyin with its tones, then write every character in sequence. Finally, recall the complete meaning instead of memorizing each character as an isolated translation.
When the word appears in a sentence, check whether its part of speech and meaning match the definition shown here. Chinese words can change nuance with context.
Words with the same characters
Compare how a familiar Hanzi changes meaning inside another word.
fear; to dread; I'm afraid that...; perhaps; maybe
恐惧kǒngjùto be frightened; fear; dread
恐吓kǒnghèto threaten; to menace
恐慌kǒnghuāngpanic; panicky; panic-stricken
恐龙kǒnglóngdinosaur (CL:頭|头[tou2],隻|只[zhi1]); (old) (slang) ugly person
争先恐后zhēngxiān-kǒnghòustriving to be first and fearing to be last (idiom); outdoing one another