破 — “break / tear” in Japanese

Grade 5は, やぶ

Radical ⽯ · radical 112 The building block this kanji is filed under

“break / tear” in Japanese is 破, read ha, yabu (は, やぶ). It is a Grade 5 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 5 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 破壊 (destruction).

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What does 破 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	破
Meaning	break / tear
Readings	は, やぶ
Grade	Grade 5 (Hard)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	破壊 (destruction)

How to read 破

破 is read ha (は) or yabu (やぶ) depending on the word.

Words with 破

突破とっぱ
破壊
破綻

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Kanji read the same way as 破

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

敗やぶ lose / defeat

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-28