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Japanese Versatility List

Break, dirty, fix

Core words, Stage 4chunk 13 of 79Verbs: change, start and end

Lets you say something broke, cracked, got dirty or went off, and that you fixed it.

Mix-ups Kowareru is for machines that stop working, wareru for glass and screens that crack.

kowareru

polite kowaremasu

break; stop working; be broken

Machines and objects breaking down by themselves.

Kowasu is 'break it' (you do it). For glass or a cracked screen, wareru is the word.

casual

eakon kowarechatta.

The AC's broken.

エアコン壊れちゃった。

polite

eakon ga kowarete shimaimashita.

The air conditioner has broken.

エアコンが壊れてしまいました。

Written 壊れる · こわれる · 壊れますRank #1363 in 3,030 TV dramas

naosu

polite naoshimasu

fix; repair; correct

Repairing things and correcting mistakes or habits; after a verb stem, -naosu means 'redo' (kakinaosu).

Naoru is 'be fixed, get better'. Same sound as naosu 治す, cure (an illness).

casual

jitensha, jibun de naoshita.

I fixed my bike myself.

自転車、自分で直した。

polite

jitensha o jibun de naoshimashita.

I fixed my bike myself.

自転車を自分で直しました。

Written 直す · なおす · 直しますRank #1302 in 3,030 TV dramas

wareru

polite waremasu

crack; break; smash; split

Glass, plates, screens and eggs cracking or smashing.

Waru is 'break it' (you do it). A machine that stops working is kowareru.

casual

sumaho no gamen ga wareta.

My phone screen cracked.

スマホの画面が割れた。

polite

sumaho no gamen ga waremashita.

My phone screen cracked.

スマホの画面が割れました。

Written 割れる · われる · 割れますRank #2847 in 3,030 TV dramas

yogoreru

polite yogoremasu

get dirty; get stained

Clothes, hands or rooms getting dirty; yogorete iru = is dirty.

Yogosu is 'make it dirty' (you do it). The adjective 'dirty' is kitanai.

casual

fuku yogorechatta.

I got my clothes dirty.

服汚れちゃった。

polite

fuku ga yogorete shimaimashita.

My clothes got dirty.

服が汚れてしまいました。

Written 汚れる · よごれる · 汚れますRank #2720 in 3,030 TV dramas

kusaru

polite kusarimasu

go off; rot; go bad

Mostly heard as kusatteru, 'it's gone off'.

Said of a person, it means sulk or lose heart.

casual

kono gyuunyuu, kusatteru kamo.

This milk might be off.

この牛乳、腐ってるかも。

polite

kono gyuunyuu, kusatte iru kamo shiremasen.

This milk may have gone off.

この牛乳、腐っているかもしれません。

Written 腐る · くさる · 腐りますRank #2693 in 3,030 TV dramas