壊す
こわす · kowasu
To break, to destroy, to demolish
- to wreck, to ruin, to spoil, to damage
- to break (a bill, etc.)
Other ways to say “to break” in Japanese →
falls after mora 2 · what is pitch accent?
Say it out loud
Press the microphone and say 壊す (こわす)
Your browser’s speech recognition checks whether it understood you (in Chrome, Google processes the audio). Nihoner doesn’t record anything.
Do you really know it?
Learn its family in 60 seconds
4 words that share a kanji with 壊す. Tap each card — then save only the ones that are new to you.
Your memory hook
Link the sound or the kanji to something you already know — a personal hook is one of the fastest ways to make a word stick. It’s saved to your free account with the word.
Kanji in this word
Can you write it? Draw kanji from memory →
Conjugation
| Polite (ます形) | 壊しますこわします |
| Polite negative (ません) | 壊しませんこわしません |
| Polite past (ました) | 壊しましたこわしました |
| Polite past negative (ませんでした) | 壊しませんでしたこわしませんでした |
| Let us ~ (ましょう) | 壊しましょうこわしましょう |
| Masu-stem (連用形) | 壊しこわし |
| Want to ~ (たい形) | 壊したいこわしたい |
| While ~ing (ながら) | 壊しながらこわしながら |
| Te-form (て形) | 壊してこわして |
| Plain past (た形) | 壊したこわした |
| Tara-conditional (たら形) | 壊したらこわしたら |
| Progressive (ている形) | 壊しているこわしている |
| Plain negative (ない形) | 壊さないこわさない |
| Plain past negative (なかった形) | 壊さなかったこわさなかった |
| Negative te-form (なくて) | 壊さなくてこわさなくて |
| Potential (可能形) | 壊せるこわせる |
| Ba-conditional (条件形) | 壊せばこわせば |
| Imperative (命令形) | 壊せこわせ |
| Volitional (意向形) | 壊そうこわそう |
| Passive (受身形) | 壊されるこわされる |
| Causative (使役形) | 壊させるこわさせる |
| Causative-passive (使役受身形) | 壊させられるこわさせられる |
Practise every form in the Conjugation Dojo →
Words that share a kanji
Questions
What does 壊す mean?
To break, to destroy, to demolish. It can also mean: to wreck, to ruin, to spoil, to damage; to break (a bill, etc.).
How do you pronounce 壊す?
こわす (kowasu). Pitch accent: nakadaka — falls after mora 2. Press Listen above to hear it.
What JLPT level is 壊す?
JLPT N4 — upper beginner. See the JLPT N4 guide.
How do I remember 壊す?
Say it out loud with an example sentence, test yourself above, then save it to your deck: Nihoner brings it back just before you would forget it (spaced repetition).
Save your words
Create a free account and they will be waiting in your review deck — Nihoner brings each one back right before you would forget it.
Free · no card · your words are kept