可怕 (kěpà) is an adjective meaning 'terrible', 'scary', or 'frightening'. It combines 可 (kě), which here functions as an intensifier meaning 'can be' or 'capable of being', and 怕 (pà), meaning 'to fear' or 'afraid'. Together, they literally convey 'capable of causing fear' — hence the sense of something that evokes strong fear or dread. It’s commonly used to describe situations, people, animals, sounds, or experiences that provoke anxiety or horror.

The word is neutral in register but often carries emotional weight — it can express genuine danger ('a scary storm') or hyperbolic emphasis ('That math test was terrible!'). It frequently appears after 是 (shì) in descriptive clauses (e.g., 这个故事是真的可怕), or directly before nouns with 的 (e.g., 可怕的声音). Unlike some emotion words, it rarely stands alone as a predicate without context — it usually modifies or follows a subject to clarify what is frightening.