Translation guide
A crusher is a machine, tool, or person that crushes materials or objects. This guide covers how to express this concept in Japanese, focusing on common terms for industrial machines, kitchen tools, and figurative uses.
industrial crusher
garlic crusher
To refer to a heavy-duty machine used in mining, construction, or recycling to break down large materials.
The standard technical term for a crushing machine in industrial contexts. It covers jaw crushers, cone crushers, etc.
A large crusher is operating in this factory.
A loanword from English, commonly used in technical and industrial settings, often as part of compound terms.
Specifically a pulverizer or grinder that reduces materials to powder. Used when the output is fine particles.
To refer to a handheld device used in cooking to crush ingredients.
The most common term for kitchen crushers, often combined with the ingredient, e.g., ガーリッククラッシャー (garlic crusher).
It's convenient to crush garlic with a crusher.
A general term for a mashing or crushing tool, often used for potatoes or garlic. Less specific than クラッシャー.
Mash the potatoes with a masher.
To describe someone who defeats, overwhelms, or breaks something, often in a competitive or destructive sense.
Japanese rarely uses a noun like 'crusher' for a person. Instead, describe the action with verbs like 打ち砕く (smash), 粉砕する (pulverize), or 圧倒する (overwhelm).
He was a crusher of his opponent's hopes. (lit. He smashed his opponent's hopes.)
Literally 'destroyer', can be used in dramatic or literary contexts for someone who crushes things, but it's not common in everyday speech.
To refer to a machine that compresses junk cars into scrap metal.
Calling someone a 'crusher' in Japanese using a direct noun like 破砕者 is unnatural. Use descriptive verb phrases instead.
Jaw crushers are used for primary crushing of ore.
粉砕機で石灰石を微粉末にする。
The limestone is ground into fine powder with a pulverizer.
彼は夢の破壊者と呼ばれた。
He was called a crusher of dreams.
The introduction of car crushers improved recycling efficiency.