Chinese (Mandarin) slang
社恐
shè kǒng
Socially anxious; someone who dreads talking to strangers or big social situations.
- Literally:
- 社(交) social + 恐(惧) fear
How it's used
Short for 社交恐惧症 (social anxiety disorder), but online it's a light, self-descriptive label rather than a diagnosis — people say 我是社恐 the way English speakers say “I'm such an introvert”. The opposite is 社牛 (shèniú), someone with zero social fear. Casual and very common among younger people.
Examples
我是社恐，去一个人都不认识的聚会特别尴尬。
Wǒ shì shèkǒng, qù yí ge rén dōu bú rènshi de jùhuì tèbié gāngà.
I'm socially anxious — going to a party where I don't know anyone is super awkward.
作为一个社恐，我连打电话点外卖都紧张。
Zuòwéi yí ge shèkǒng, wǒ lián dǎ diànhuà diǎn wàimài dōu jǐnzhāng.
As someone with social anxiety, even phoning in a takeout order makes me nervous.