# 壊 — Break

Frequency rank 914 / 2,608 in published Japanese.

Mid-frequency: not on every page, but regular in books and magazines.

More common than 便 (Convenience), less common than 黙 (Shut Up).

- On’yomi: かい
- Kun’yomi: こわ
- Radical: 土 Earth (Kangxi 32)
- Frequency path: Level VII of XX

Dirt on the left side, with clothes and an eye on the right -- dirty clothes reveal an eye peering through a tear, watching things break apart.

In words:

- 壊す こわす — to break
- 壊れる こわれる — to be broken
- 崩壊 ほうかい — collapse;decay (physics);crumbling;breaking down;caving in

[Study 壊](https://app.kanjidrift.com/study?kanji=%E5%A3%8A)

[← Rank 913: 黙 (Shut Up)](https://kanjidrift.com/frequency/黙.md) · [Rank 915: 便 (Convenience) →](https://kanjidrift.com/frequency/便.md)

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