Japanese word

故障

Pronunciation

Romajikoshō

Meaning

  • nounbreakdown

Example

テレビが故障しています。te re bi ga ko shō shi te i ma su

The TV is broken.

Illustration for 故障 (breakdown)

More examples

出かける前に、車の故障がないか確認します。de ka ke ru mae ni kuruma no ko shō ga na i ka kaku nin shi ma su

Before leaving, I check whether the car has any problems.

Core concept

Describes a machine or device failing to work properly because something in it has gone wrong.

Common phrases

  • 故障中ko shō chū

    out of order

  • 車の故障kuruma no ko shō

    car trouble

  • 故障の原因ko shō no gen in

    the cause of a breakdown

Similar words

不具合fuguai: A problem in a machine or device prevents it from working as intended.
不調fuchō: A machine or device is in a condition where it does not work well.
トラブルtoraburu: A problem causes a machine, device, or system to work incorrectly.

Definition in Japanese

機械や設備などに不具合が生じ、正常に動かなくなること。ki kai ya setsu bi na do ni fu gu ai ga shō ji sei jō ni ugo ka na ku na ru ko to

Word origin

The compound 故障 (koshō) combines 故 (ko, "cause") and 障 (shō, "obstruction") to express a fault that hinders operation.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Japanese, 故障中 (koshōchū) on a machine or sign means that the machine is out of service because of a malfunction.

Opposites

Related words

  • 故障するkoshōsurubreak downverb

Word lists with this word