fear

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 恐 has 10 strokes, the on-reading きょう, and the kun-readings おそれる and おそろしい. 恐れる (おそれる) means to fear.
• Basic usage: 恐れる is used with the thing someone fears; 恐怖 (きょうふ) names the emotion of fear.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• What someone fears and the emotion itself
  • 失敗を恐れる means to fear failure. 山の怒りを恐れ describes the villagers fearing the mountain's anger in the example.
  • 失敗への恐怖を乗り越えて means after overcoming fear of failure. The following 舞台に立った describes going onstage after overcoming that fear.