crush, smash, break, dissipate

About this kanji

The kanji 潰, pronounced as つぶ or カイ, signifies the action of crushing or breaking something down. It is often used as a verb, for instance, in the compounds 潰す (つぶす), which means "to smash," and 潰れる (つぶれる), meaning "to be crushed." Another phrase, 顔を潰す (かおをつぶす), refers to making someone lose face, indicating a social or reputational misstep. In medical contexts, you might encounter 潰瘍 (かいよう), meaning "ulcer," particularly within the compound 胃潰瘍 (いかいよう), which specifies a stomach ulcer. Note that the context determines whether the kanji describes a physical action, a social situation, or a health issue.

Example sentences

• その会社は潰れてしまった。

  That company went bankrupt.

Meanings across languages

English

crush, smash, break, dissipate

Tiếng Việt

hủy hoại, phá hủy

日本語

潰れる, 潰す

한국어

부수다, 무너지다

中文

崩溃, 破碎

id

hancurkan, pukul, pecahkan, menyebar

th

บด, ทุบ, ทำลาย, กระจาย

es

aplastar, machacar, romper, disipar

fr

écraser, broyer, briser, disperser

de

zermalmen, zertrümmern, brechen, zerstreuen

pt

esmagar, quebrar, destruir, dissipar

Common compounds

• 潰すつぶすto smash, to crush, to flatten
• 潰れるつぶれるto be crushed, to be squashed, to be smashed
• 顔を潰すかおをつぶすto make someone lose face, to embarrass someone, to make someone look foolish
• 潰瘍かいようulcer
• 胃潰瘍いかいようstomach ulcer, gastric ulcer
• 潰走かいそうrout, stampede
• 擂潰らいかいgrinding
• 潰れつぶれcollapse, ruin, destruction