Translation guide
A person who is easily frightened or timid, often used in a teasing or childish way.
To call someone a scaredy-cat in a lighthearted, teasing manner, similar to how children might use it.
Literally 'coward', this is the most direct equivalent. It can be used teasingly or seriously, but is slightly more formal than the English 'scaredy-cat'.
彼は臆病者だから、お化け屋敷には絶対に入らない。
He's such a scaredy-cat, he'd never go into a haunted house.
Means 'someone who gets scared easily'. It's a noun form of 'to be scared' and is commonly used in casual conversation.
Literally 'weak bug', this is a common teasing word for a coward or weakling, often used by children. It has a slightly more insulting nuance than 'scaredy-cat'.
Slang term for someone who is easily frightened or nervous. Very casual and commonly used among young people.
あいつはビビりだから、ジェットコースターには乗れないよ。
That guy's a scaredy-cat, he can't ride roller coasters.
A stronger, more insulting term for a coward. It implies lack of nerve or guts. Not typically used in a lighthearted way.
臆病者 is the standard word for 'coward' and can be used in both serious and teasing contexts. 怖がり focuses on the tendency to get scared easily and is more descriptive. ビビり is slang and very casual, often used among friends.
There is no direct equivalent of 'scaredy-cat' as a cute, childish term in Japanese. Using 猫 (cat) in a translation would not make sense. Stick to the options above.
My kid is a scaredy-cat and doesn't like dark places.
Scaredy-cat! You can't even do that?
そんなことで逃げるなんて腰抜けだ。
Running away from something like that makes you a scaredy-cat.