How to Write 怖 (bù) — Meaning “terror; fear; frightened”

Imagine your heart (忄) is covered by a piece of cloth (布), making you feel scared because you cannot see what is coming. The cloth represents the character 布, so you can think "cloth over heart = fear." This image ties the two parts to the meaning of terror.

First write the vertical heart radical 忄 (dot, dot, vertical line), then the right side 布: horizontal stroke, left-falling stroke (撇), vertical hook (竖钩), vertical stroke (竖), and a final right-falling stroke (捺). A common mistake is making the right side too wide or forgetting the hook on the vertical stroke inside 布.

比字: 忏 (chàn) means "repent" and uses 千 (thousand) on the right, while 怖 (bù) means "fear" with 布 (cloth). 忕 (shì) means "habit" or "extravagant" and has 太 (too) on the right. Visually, the right-side components are completely different, and their meanings are unrelated to fear.

怖 is most often seen in the common word 恐怖 (kǒng bù), meaning "terror" or "horror," as in 恐怖片 (horror movie). It is not in the HSK list but appears frequently in news, stories, and entertainment. Culturally, 恐怖 is used to describe frightening experiences or genres, similar to English "horror."

Common words containing 怖 include: 恐怖 (kǒng bù) — Terror; horror; scary; 惊怖 (jīng bù) — Terrified; 恐怖片 (kǒng bù piàn) — Horror movie.