Common word› JLPT N5 › Freq. Frequency Top 5,000 Conjugation 故障する · noun or participle which takes 'suru'
Form Positive Negative Dictionary 故こ 障しょう する 故こ 障しょう しない Polite 故こ 障しょう します 故こ 障しょう しません Past polite 故こ 障しょう しました 故こ 障しょう しませんでした Past 故こ 障しょう した 故こ 障しょう しなかった Te-form 故こ 障しょう して 故こ 障しょう しないで Desire 故こ 障しょう したい 故こ 障しょう したくない Potential 故こ 障しょう できる 故こ 障しょう できない Passive 故こ 障しょう される 故こ 障しょう されない Causative 故こ 障しょう させる 故こ 障しょう させない Causative passive 故こ 障しょう させられる 故こ 障しょう させられない Volitional 故こ 障しょう しよう Polite volitional 故こ 障しょう しましょう Imperative 故こ 障しょう しろ 故こ 障しょう するな Conditional 故こ 障しょう すれば 故こ 障しょう しなければ Tara conditional 故こ 障しょう したら 故こ 障しょう しなかったら
Meanings Jump to a sense… 1. breakdown; malfunction; being out of order 2. injury; damage to a body part; hurt 3. problem; hitch; obstacle 4. objection; protest Usage patterns 〈 物もの 〉 が 故こ 障しょう する for a machine or device to break down
The car broke down and wouldn't move.
〈 体からだ の 部ぶ 位い 〉 を 故こ 障しょう する to injure a body part (esp. in sports)
The athlete injured his shoulder last year.
故こ 障しょう なく 〈 動どう 詞し 〉 without a hitch; smoothly, with no problems
The meeting proceeded without any problems.
故こ 障しょう を 直なお す / 修しゅう 理り する to fix a malfunction
A technician fixed the TV's malfunction for us.
故こ 障しょう が 起お きる / 発はっ 生せい する for a malfunction to occur
A malfunction occurred in the system.
Expressions 故こ 障しょう に 強つよ い fault-tolerant; resistant to failure; robust against breakdowns Kanji 故 happenstance, especially, intentionally Transitive / intransitive 故障する is used both intransitively (機械が故障する, "the machine breaks down") and transitively (肩を故障する, "to injure one's shoulder"), depending on the sense.
Related words· 9 不具合 is the broader modern term for a defect or malfunction, often used for software and products, while 故障 more strongly implies the thing has actually stopped working.
怪我 is the everyday word for an injury, while 故障 for body parts is used mainly in sports contexts to describe a functional impairment.
異議 is the normal modern word for an objection, while 故障 in this sense is rare, formal, and mostly legalistic.
破損 means physical breakage or damage, whereas 故障 specifically means the device has stopped functioning properly (it may or may not be visibly broken).
Show 5 more Show fewer 故障する is the more formal, technical word specifically for machines malfunctioning, while 壊れる is the everyday word for the same idea.
故障する is the neutral, technical word for a machine breaking down, while 狂う suggests the machine still runs but its accuracy or timing is off.
故障 means a mechanical breakdown or malfunction, whereas 事故 can involve people, vehicles, or situations more broadly.
故障 refers strictly to a mechanical or system breakdown, whereas トラブル can describe that same kind of malfunction but also interpersonal or systemic issues.
故障 specifically means a mechanical breakdown or malfunction, whereas 異状 is broader and can describe any abnormal condition, not just equipment failure.
Don't confuse with 故障 refers to a machine or system breaking down or malfunctioning, while 損傷 refers to physical damage or injury, not mechanical failure.
故障 means a mechanical breakdown or malfunction of equipment, while 支障 means an abstract hindrance to a plan or process, not a physical failure.
故障 (a breakdown or malfunction) is a homophone of 呼称 (a name or designation) but has a completely unrelated meaning.
故障 means an actual breakdown or malfunction that has already occurred, while 不調 can describe a milder state of not working well without full failure.
Counted with 故障 is typically counted with 回 when referring to the number of times a breakdown has occurred, as in 故障が 3回あった .
For places and spots — locations of damage, faults, or points along something.
Word family· 16 broken product; faulty product
failure rate
injured player; injured person
broken-down car; disabled vehicle
transmission fault
Show 5 more Show fewer initial failure; early failure; infant mortality failure
degradation failure
power failure; mechanical breakdown
mechanical breakdown; machine failure
stuck-at fault
See all 16 in Explore →
Etymology A Sino-Japanese compound written with 故 and 障 . The spelling is conventionally associated with trouble, obstruction, or something going wrong; no detailed historical derivation is specified.
Report an issue with this page
Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.