壊 — Demolition / Break / Destroy

Master (高手)かい, え, こわ, やぶ

Radical ⼟ · radical 32 The building block this kanji is filed under

壊 (readings: かい, え, こわ, やぶ; Japanese kanji) means “Demolition / Break / Destroy”. It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 破壊 (destruction).

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What does 壊 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	壊
Meaning	Demolition / Break / Destroy
Readings	かい, え, こわ, やぶ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	破壊 (destruction)

How to read 壊

壊 is read かい or え or こわ or やぶ depending on the word.

Words with 壊

破壊phá hoại
崩壊sụp đổ

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Updated: 2026-07-22