Sections
Kowai (怖い): what it means in anime
怖い
こわい · kowai · scary; frightening; eerie JLPT N4
Kowai means "scary" or "frightening", and also "afraid": 怖い！ can be "that's scary" or "I'm scared" depending on the scene.
Where you hear it 2 of 42 series
Lines from the Japanese subtitles of episodes 1–3 of each show. A translation is shown only when it clearly matches the line; counts are subtitle lines containing the word.
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Jujutsu Kaisen · 9 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 1
逆に怖いっていう…It's actually scary that he doesn't.
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Frieren · 7 lines in episodes 1–3 · this one from episode 1
前より 死ぬのが怖くなったから
Usage and nuance
In Japanese the adjective describes the feeling and the cause at once, so 怖い先生 is a scary teacher and 怖くない is "I'm not afraid". Jujutsu Kaisen's students and Frieren's apprentices both say it about monsters.
Do not confuse it with 可愛い (kawaii, cute), which sounds similar to beginners. Mixing them up in front of a Japanese friend is a classic story.
The polite word for "frightening" is 恐ろしい (osoroshii), and 怖がる (kowagaru) is "to be afraid of".
Hear 怖い in Jujutsu Kaisen9 lines in episodes 1–3 · tappable subtitles · free, no account