Translation guide
The English word "creep" has several distinct meanings, from moving slowly and stealthily to an unpleasant person or a gradual change. This guide breaks down the most useful meanings for learners and provides natural Japanese equivalents.
To move in a slow, careful, and quiet way, often to avoid being noticed.
Literally 'walk with stealthy steps'. This is the most natural way to describe creeping movement when trying to be quiet.
彼は忍び足で部屋に入った。
He crept into the room.
Means 'move stealthily' or 'sneak'. Emphasizes the secretive nature of the movement.
猫がこっそり動いて獲物に近づいた。
The cat crept up on its prey.
Literally 'advance as if crawling'. Used for very slow, low-to-the-ground movement, often in a military or survival context.
兵士たちは這うように進んだ。
The soldiers crept forward.
To happen or change very slowly, often in a way that is hard to notice.
Means 'advance gradually'. Used for slow progress or change.
時間が徐々に進んでいった。
Time crept by.
Describes something spreading or expanding little by little, often with a sense of inevitability.
不安がじわじわと広がった。
Anxiety crept in.
Literally 'sneak up unnoticed'. Poetic, used for abstract things like old age or danger.
老いが知らぬ間に忍び寄る。
Old age creeps up on you.
A person who behaves in a way that makes others feel uncomfortable, scared, or disgusted.
The most common and direct way to call someone 'creepy'. Literally 'a person who feels bad'.
あの男、気持ち悪い人だね。
That guy is a creep.
Means 'pervert' or 'deviant'. Stronger than 'creep', often used for sexual predators or stalkers.
駅で変質者に遭った。
I encountered a creep at the station.
Loanword for 'stalker'. Used specifically for someone who obsessively follows or harasses another person.
Very casual and slangy. 'キモい' is short for '気持ち悪い'. 'やつ' means 'guy'. Used among friends or in rough speech.
あいつ、マジでキモいやつだな。
That dude is a total creep.
To cause a feeling of fear, disgust, or unease.
Means 'to make someone shudder' or 'give the creeps'. Used for things that are eerie or frightening.
その話は私をぞっとさせた。
That story gave me the creeps.
Literally 'goosebumps stand up'. Used when something is creepy or scary.
あの映画を見て鳥肌が立った。
That movie gave me the creeps.
Means 'eerie' or 'uncanny'. Describes a situation or person that feels wrong or creepy.
この家は気味が悪い。
This house gives me the creeps.
To move closer to someone or something without being seen or heard.
The standard verb for sneaking up on someone or something.
猫が鳥に忍び寄った。
The cat crept up on the bird.
Means 'approach stealthily'. More casual and descriptive.
彼はこっそり彼女の後ろに近づいた。
He crept up behind her.
In technical contexts, the slow deformation of a material under stress, or the gradual movement of something.
The loanword 'クリープ' is used in engineering and materials science for creep deformation.
高温では金属にクリープが生じる。
At high temperatures, creep occurs in metals.
English 'creep' as a verb of movement doesn't have a single direct equivalent. Use context-appropriate phrases like 忍び足で歩く or こっそり動く. Avoid literal translations like 這う (crawl) unless the movement is actually on all fours.
気持ち悪い人 is a general term for someone creepy or gross, while 変質者 specifically implies a sexual deviant or pervert. Use 変質者 only when the context involves sexual harassment or predation.
彼女を起こさないように、忍び足で部屋を出た。
I crept out of the room so I wouldn't wake her.
彼女はストーカーに悩まされている。
She's being bothered by a creep/stalker.