Word
壊れる
Meaning in Englishbreak, be broken, get damaged
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Word context
What it means
壊れる means to become broken or damaged; it describes the change of state when something loses its integrity or function due to impact, pressure, wear, or deterioration, and can apply to physical objects as well as abstract things like plans or emotions.
Main meanings
- Physical breakage of a solid object due to impact, pressure, or wear
- Damage that renders something unusable or defective
- Malfunction or failure of a device or mechanism
- Emotional or figurative collapse, such as a heart or spirits being broken
- Figurative deterioration or spoiling of quality
How to use it
Used in casual, neutral, and polite registers to describe that something has become broken or damaged. Common conjugations include 壊れます for polite speech and 壊れている to indicate a state of being broken; it is applicable to objects, structures, devices, and also to abstract concepts like plans or relationships.
Variants and close terms
- 壊す (kowasu) – to break something intentionally
- 破損する (hason suru) – to suffer damage or to be damaged
- 割れる (wareru) – to crack or break into pieces
- 心が壊れる (kokoro ga kowareru) – to have one's heart broken emotionally
Composition
- 壊: meaning to break or destroy; the core semantic element in 壊れる
- れ: part of the verb stem used to form the intransitive ru-verb; る: final verb ending; together 壊れ- + る creates 壊れる, meaning 'to become broken'
Word class
verb (動詞・一段)
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