恐れる
おそれる · osoreru · JLPT N3 · verb-ichidan
to fear
👻 Sounds like oh, sorry! — what you blurt when you fear you are in trouble
The kanji 恐 has 心 (heart) at the bottom, so fear sits in the heart. Drop the る and 恐れ (osore) is the noun fear. It is also the root of 恐ろしい (osoroshii), meaning terrifying.