潰 means “crush, ruin”

つぶす · tsubusu

Also: smash, break, dissipate

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

つぶす, つぶれる, ついえる

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

カイ, エ

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 15 strokes

The story

Water (氵) bursting over something precious (貴): a flood crushing all of value. 潰す is to crush, a company that goes under 潰れる, 暇潰し is killing time, and 潰瘍 is an ulcer eating into the stomach wall.

Used in 潰す (tsubusu, to crush), 潰れる (tsubureru, to be crushed/go under), and 潰瘍 (kaiyou, ulcer)

More from Crumble & Ruin

• 綻 come apart
• 壊 break
• 崩 crumble
• 削 shave
• 裂 tear
• 陥 fall into
• 滅 perish
• 腐 rot
• 砕 smash
• 朽 decay
• 毀 damage

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Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.