Use 壊す to describe causing damage, whether deliberately or accidentally.

The idea

壊す is a transitive godan verb: mark the thing damaged with を. Its polite stem is 壊し, and its て form is 壊して. The non-past can describe a present or future action.

Patterns to compare
Dictionary formPolite non-pastPolite negativePolite pastて form
壊す壊します壊しません壊しました壊して

Examples

  • 私わたしはコップを壊こわしました。I broke a glass.
  • 子供こどもがおもちゃを壊こわしました。The child broke the toy.
  • 弟おとうとは古ふるいラジオを壊こわしてしまいました。My younger brother accidentally broke the old radio.
  • この箱はこを壊こわさないでください。Please do not break this box.
  • 猫ねこが花瓶かびんを壊こわしました。The cat broke the vase.
  • 父ちちは古ふるい棚たなを壊こわして新あたらしい棚たなを作つくりました。My father dismantled the old shelf and made a new one.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

壊れる is intransitive: コップが壊れました describes the glass breaking without naming who caused it. 壊す does not by itself say whether the act was intentional.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the polite non-past form.

    Show answer or example answer

    壊します

    壊します is the polite non-past form; す changes to し before ます.

  2. Write the て form.

    Show answer or example answer

    壊して

    壊して is the て form: godan verbs ending in す change す to して.

  3. Choose the verb that completes the sentence: I broke the toy.

    Show answer or example answer

    壊しました

    壊しました fits because を marks the object someone broke; 壊れました describes the object breaking.

Use it today

Describe something someone broke, then rewrite the sentence in polite past and check the object particle.