1.
to break, to demolish, to tear down
To cause something to fall apart or collapse.
古い建物を崩す。
Demolish an old building.
子どもたちが積み木を崩して遊んでいる。
The children are playing by knocking down building blocks.
山を崩して道路を作った。
They cut through the mountain to build a road.
2.
to break (a bill), to make change
To exchange a large bill for smaller denominations.
この一万円札を崩してもらえますか？
Could you break this 10,000-yen bill for me?
五千円札を崩したいんですが。
I'd like to break a 5,000-yen bill.
小銭がないので、お札を崩さなければならない。
I don't have any coins, so I need to break a bill.
3.
to ruin, to upset (health, posture, etc.)
To cause something to deviate from its proper state.
体調を崩して休んでいる。
I'm resting because I'm not feeling well.
無理をすると体を崩しますよ。
If you push yourself too hard, you'll ruin your health.
バランスを崩して転んでしまった。
I lost my balance and fell over.
崩す means to break down, demolish, or cause to collapse.
TRANSITIVITY:
- Type: Transitive (他動詞)
- Pair: 崩れる (intransitive - to collapse)
- Pattern: Xを崩す
COMMON EXPRESSIONS:
- お金を崩す (to break money, get change)
- 体調を崩す (to become unwell)
- 姿勢を崩す (to relax one's posture)
- 形を崩す (to lose shape)
- バランスを崩す (to lose balance)
NOTE: 崩す is very common for breaking bills into smaller change.
Related Words
Pair verb:
崩れる (intransitive)