How to say "panic" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 慌てるあわてるichidan verb, intransitive verbThe verb for panic in the sense of suddenly losing your composure: becoming flustered, confused, or disorganized by something unexpected, such as realizing you are late or have mislaid something important.
- nounThe straightforward noun for panic as a state or episode: sudden overwhelming fear with confused, frantic behavior. It names the state itself, where 慌てる describes the person's flustered reaction.
- 恐慌きょうこうnounPanic in the large-scale sense: a scare or alarm that spreads through a group, a market, or society. It is not the word for one person's momentary flustered reaction.
- 恐怖きょうふnoun, suru verb, transitive verb, intransitive verbReally the word for fear, dread, or terror as an emotion, not for the flustered, disorganized behavior that "panic" often implies. It is seldom the word you want when panic means losing your head.
- 焦るあせるgodan verb, intransitive verbA colloquial verb for the flustered, hurried side of panicking: getting rattled or worked up when time is short or things refuse to go as planned, with a strong flavor of impatience.
Use 「慌てる」 for suddenly losing your composure and 「焦る」 for flustered impatience; 「パニック」 names the state of panic itself, 恐慌 is large-scale public panic, and 恐怖 is really fear or dread.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
- 慌てるあわてるto become confused (disconcerted, disorganized, disorganised)
- パニックpanic
- 恐慌きょうこうpanic
- 恐怖きょうふfear
- パニクるto panic
- タミフるto panic
- 慌てふためくあわてふためくto get into a panic
- おびえbeing startled, surprised or afraid
- 周章しゅうしょうconfusion
- 臆病風おくびょうかぜloss of nerve
- 頭が真っ白になるあたまがまっしろになるto blank out
- 狼狽ろうばいconfusion
- 焦るあせるto get a fright
- 騒ぐさわぐto lose one's cool
See also
This browser can't play pronunciations (needs Safari 18.4 or later, or Chrome / Edge / Firefox).
