音読み: カイ・エ
訓読み: こわれる・こわす
画数: 16
部首: 土（つちへん）
Meaning
Break / Destroy / Demolish.
- 壊れる — to break; to be damaged (intrans.)
- 壊す — to break; to destroy (trans.)
- 破壊 — destruction; demolition
- 損壊 — damage; breakage
- 崩壊 — collapse; breakdown
壊 uses the radical 土（つちへん） “earth/ground,” hinting at crumbling soil or structures, combined with a phonetic part that gives the reading カイ. From the image of something collapsing into the earth, the meanings “break,” “destroy,” and “demolish” developed.
Pair 壊 “break/demolish” with 破 “break/tear,” and you get the strong idea of 破壊 — forcefully smashing or wrecking. Instinct hook: earth (土) crumbling + break (破) → total destruction.
Forms
損壊 — damage; breakage