壊 — “Demolition / Break / Destroy” in Japanese

Master (高手)かい, え, こわ, やぶ

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

“Demolition / Break / Destroy” in Japanese is 壊, read kai, e, kowa (かい, え, こわ, やぶ). 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 kai (かい) or e (え) or kowa (こわ) or yabu (やぶ) depending on the word.

Words with 壊

破壊
崩壊

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Kanji read the same way as 壊

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

Updated: 2026-08-28