broken

JLPT N1 10 strokes

Words with this Kanji

Usage of

The character (pò) primarily means "to break" or "to tear." It is used both for physical breaking, such as tearing clothes or breaking objects, and metaphorically, such as breaking records.

Common contexts

  1. Physical damage: can describe something torn or broken, e.g., (has a hole).
  2. Destruction: It can mean to destroy or break something intentionally, e.g., 破坏机器 (break a machine).
  3. Breaking records: is often used in sports or achievements to mean "to break" a record.

Collocations

  • 纪录 (break a record): used in sports or competitions.
  • (hole, tear): often used with clothes or materials.
  • 破坏 (destroy): formal term for damaging or destroying.

Notes

When using , the object is usually something tangible or a concept like a record. It differs from (shuāi), which means to fall and break accidentally. Also, is often combined with other characters to form compound words with specific meanings.

Avoid confusing with (huài), which means "bad" or "broken" but focuses more on the state rather than the action of breaking.

Example Sentences

His clothes have a big tear.

We have to break the old machine to install the new equipment.

He broke the record and became the champion.