Kanji N1

壊: demolition, break, destroy

壊 is a JLPT N1 kanji meaning demolition, break, destroy, written with 16 strokes. It is read カイ, エ (on) and こわす, こわれる, やぶる (kun). It is one of the jōyō kanji taught in secondary school. You will see it in 崩壊 (ほうかい, collapse) and 破壊 (はかい, destruction).

壊

Meanings

  • demolition
  • break
  • destroy
Strokes16
JLPT levelN1
School gradeSecondary school
Frequency#727 of 2,500

On reading · Kun reading

On reading
  • カイ
  • エ

On'yomi: from Chinese, written in katakana. Used in compound words.

Kun reading
  • こわす
  • こわれる
  • やぶる

Kun'yomi: native Japanese, in hiragana. The faint part is the okurigana, written in kana after the kanji.

Watch the stroke order

Every stroke in order, the live one in vermilion. Replay as often as you like.

12345678910111213141516

Now draw it

Trace each stroke in order. Wrong direction or wrong order gets flagged right away.

123456789101112131415160 / 16

Your turn: draw stroke 1 of 16. Start at the dot.

Common words with 壊

The most useful words written with it, easiest first. Every other kanji in them opens its own page.

  • 崩壊ほうかい

    collapse; crumbling; breaking down; caving in

    JLPT N1
  • 破壊はかい

    destruction; disruption

    JLPT N1
  • 壊すこわす

    to break; to destroy; to demolish

    JLPT N4
  • 壊れるこわれる

    to be broken; to break; to fall apart

    JLPT N4
  • 壊滅かいめつ

    (complete) destruction; annihilation

  • 損壊そんかい

    damage; destruction

  • 取り壊しとりこわし

    demolition; pulling down; destruction

  • 倒壊とうかい

    destruction; collapse; crumbling

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Stroke order from KanjiVG © Ulrich Apel, CC BY-SA 3.0. Readings, meanings and words from KANJIDIC2 and JMdict, names from JMnedict, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0, and Wikidata, CC0. JLPT lists after Jonathan Waller (tanos.co.uk), CC BY.