bou3怖
Jyutpingbou3
Yalebou
Definition
To fear, dread, or be afraid.
colloquialemotion
How it's used
怖 is primarily a bound morpheme in Cantonese rather than a standalone verb used in everyday speech. It appears most frequently in compound words like 恐怖 to describe something frightening or horrific. When expressing the feeling of fear as a verb, speakers almost exclusively use 驚 instead.
Examples
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often try to use 怖 as a direct verb like 驚, but it sounds unnatural or overly literary in spoken Cantonese. Always prefer 驚 for expressing personal fear or being afraid of something.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
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Classifier
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Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
