Why do JLPT N4 learners confuse 運ぶ with 壊す?

Both words occupy adjacent semantic territory, which is exactly why the JLPT uses them as distractors for each other on multiple-choice items. The fastest way to stop confusing them is to study them as a pair, write a one-sentence contrast in your own words, and drill the pair specifically rather than each word in isolation.

Is 運ぶ or 壊す more common on JLPT N4?

Both appear in the JLPT N4 curriculum and either may show up on a given exam. Don't try to predict which one the test will choose — learn to distinguish them and you'll be safe regardless. Both belong to the Actions & Movement theme of N4 vocabulary.

How do I practice this confusion pair?

Free option: visit /try and pick a confusion drill. Paid option: none — JLPT Mastery is free during launch. Whichever route you take, the engine specifically re-tests pairs you've gotten wrong rather than rotating through general vocabulary review.

JLPT N4 · Elementary · Meaning confusion

運ぶ vs 壊す

Q: What's the difference between 運ぶ and 壊す?

運ぶ (はこぶ) means "to transport, to carry" and 壊す (こわす) means "to break, to break down". These are both common transitive verbs in their dictionary forms. Beginners may confuse the physical act of 'carrying' (運ぶ) with 'breaking' (壊す) during early vocabulary acquisition due to similar sentence patterns.

Why JLPT N4 learners mix up 運ぶ (はこぶ, “to transport, to carry”) and 壊す (こわす, “to break, to break down”).

運ぶ

はこぶ

to transport, to carry

verb

壊す

こわす

to break, to break down

verb

Theme: Actions & MovementJLPT N4

Why these get confused

These are both common transitive verbs in their dictionary forms. Beginners may confuse the physical act of 'carrying' (運ぶ) with 'breaking' (壊す) during early vocabulary acquisition due to similar sentence patterns.

How to tell them apart

Anchor on the meaning, not the form. 運ぶ (to transport, to carry) and 壊す (to break, to break down) live in adjacent semantic territory. Memorize the boundary, not just each word.
Read the example sentences below. Seeing each word in its natural context builds a faster lookup than studying the dictionary form alone.

In a sentence

運ぶ (to transport, to carry)

一人で運ぶには大きすぎる。
タンカーは石油を運ぶ船である。

壊す (to break, to break down)

食べ過ぎておなかを壊すなよ。
食べ過ぎておなかを壊すなよ。

How JLPT tests this pair

On JLPT N4, this pair shows up as a vocabulary meaning question. You see one word and pick its English equivalent from four options — one of which will be the other word in this pair, chosen as a distractor precisely because of the overlap.

Sample item

「運ぶ」の意味は？