How to say "crash" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- noun, suru verb, intransitive verbThe go-to loanword for a crash, especially of a vehicle. It has a casual, direct feel and works well for car accidents or computers and systems going down.
- 激突げきとつnoun, suru verb, intransitive verbFor a violent, dramatic crash or clash, such as two cars smashing head-on into each other. It emphasizes force and impact, often in news reports of serious collisions.
- 衝突しょうとつnoun, suru verb, intransitive verbCovers collision in a neutral way: vehicles running into each other or something, and by extension clashes between people or opinions. The most versatile choice when 'crash' means 'running into' something.車がトラックに衝突した。↗The car collided with a truck.
- 暴落ぼうらくnoun, suru verb, intransitive verbOnly for prices, markets, or stocks crashing in a sudden heavy fall. It is not used for physical crashes at all, so it is never the word you want for vehicles or aircraft.
- 墜落ついらくnoun, suru verb, intransitive verbThe word for a crash of an aircraft: a plane falling from the sky. It covers falling as much as crashing, so it belongs to aviation contexts rather than road accidents.
Use 「クラッシュ」 for vehicle crashes, 衝突 for collisions with something, 激突 for violent clashes, 墜落 for aircraft crashes, and 暴落 only for market or price collapses.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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