Horror films in Chinese 恐怖片
kǒngbùpiàn
Horror film in Chinese is 恐怖片 (kǒng bù piàn).
Also searched for as: scary movies, horror movies, scary films, ghost films.
Ghosts, jump scares and watching through your fingers. 15 essential horror films words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
The word for horror film in Chinese is 恐怖片 (kǒng bù piàn), and if ghosts are involved it's a 鬼片 (guǐ piàn). Beyond the genre names, you'll want words for the experience itself: 吓人 (xià rén), scary, 尖叫 (jiān jiào), to scream, and 捂眼睛 (wǔ yǎn jing), covering your eyes. And if you're 胆小 (dǎn xiǎo), easily scared, there's no shame in watching with the lights on.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 恐怖片 | kǒng bù piàn | horror film |
| 鬼片 | guǐ piàn | ghost film |
| 吓人 | xià rén | scary; frightening |
| 吓死我了 | xià sǐ wǒ le | it scared me to death |
| 惊悚片 | jīng sǒng piàn | thriller; psychological horror |
| 鬼 | guǐ | ghost |
| 丧尸 | sāng shī | zombie |
| 闹鬼 | nào guǐ | to be haunted |
| 附身 | fù shēn | to possess (of a spirit) |
| 诅咒 | zǔ zhòu | curse; to curse |
| 尖叫 | jiān jiào | to scream |
| 胆小 | dǎn xiǎo | timid; easily scared |
| 捂眼睛 | wǔ yǎn jing | to cover one's eyes |
| 音效 | yīn xiào | sound effects |
| 血腥 | xuè xīng | gory; bloody |
Usage tips
- 吓死我了 (xià sǐ wǒ le), "it scared me to death", is the everyday reaction to any fright, not just films. Say it when someone creeps up on you too.
- 胆 (dǎn), the gall bladder, is linked to courage in Chinese, so a timid person is 胆小 (dǎn xiǎo) and a bold one is 胆大 (dǎn dà). 我胆子小 (wǒ dǎn zi xiǎo) is a common, light-hearted admission.
- The seventh lunar month is traditionally known as 鬼月 (guǐ yuè), Ghost Month, especially in Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia. Some people avoid ghost stories and late nights out during it, so read the room.
Common mistakes
- 吓人 (xià rén) means "scary", describing the thing, while 害怕 (hài pà) means "scared", describing you. 我很吓人 means "I'm scary"; say 我很害怕 (wǒ hěn hài pà).
- 丧尸 (sāng shī) is first tone. Said as sàng shī, it sounds like 丧失 (sàng shī), "to lose", not "zombie".
Mini dialogue
- A今晚一起看恐怖片吧？Jīn wǎn yī qǐ kàn kǒng bù piàn ba?Shall we watch a horror film tonight?
- B不要，我胆小，看完会睡不着。Bù yào, wǒ dǎn xiǎo, kàn wán huì shuì bu zháo.No way, I scare easily. I won't be able to sleep afterwards.
- A没关系，可怕的地方你可以捂眼睛。Méi guān xi, kě pà de dì fang nǐ kě yǐ wǔ yǎn jing.That's fine, you can cover your eyes at the scary bits.
- B好吧，但是不看鬼片，太吓人了。Hǎo ba, dàn shì bù kàn guǐ piàn, tài xià rén le.All right, but no ghost films, they're too scary.
- A那看丧尸片吧！Nà kàn sāng shī piàn ba!Then let's watch a zombie film!
Example sentences
- 你敢一个人看恐怖片吗？Do you dare watch horror films on your own?
- 小时候看完鬼片我都不敢关灯。As a kid I didn't dare turn the light off after a ghost film.
- 这个片子太吓人了！This film is so scary!
- 吓死我了，我差点叫出来。That scared me to death, I nearly screamed.
- 惊悚片比鬼片更让我紧张。Thrillers make me more nervous than ghost films.
- 你相信世界上有鬼吗？Do you believe in ghosts?
- 丧尸片里的人总是跑不快。People in zombie films can never run fast enough.
- 听说那栋老房子闹鬼。I've heard that old house is haunted.
- 她好像被什么东西附身了。It's as if she's been possessed by something.
- 这个娃娃身上有诅咒。There's a curse on this doll.
- 电影院里突然有人尖叫起来。Suddenly someone in the cinema started screaming.
- 我胆小，不敢看恐怖片。I scare easily, I can't watch horror films.
- 一到可怕的地方我就捂眼睛。I cover my eyes whenever it gets to a scary bit.
- 这部片子主要靠音效吓人。This film mostly scares you with its sound effects.
- 太血腥的电影我看不了。I can't watch films that are too gory.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Horror films speaking island has 8 everyday questions about horror films to prepare your own answers to.