Japanese

Alternative forms

• 破れる

Verb

割れる ‎(intransitive, ichidan conjugation, hiragana われる, romaji wareru)

1. be broken, break itself

   強風で窓ガラスが割れた。

   Windowpanes were broken by a strong wind.

2. be divided; crack; be split

   見方が四つに割れた。

   Views were divided into four.

3. be divisible

   六は三で割れる。

   Six can be divided by three.

4. (colloquial) be revealed, be identified
   • 1961, Mashiho Chiri (知里真志保), 「えぞおばけ列伝」:

     禿頭 (はげあたま)だといい、煙草 (たばこ)を欲 (ほ)しがるといい、そこを突 (つ)っこんで行 (い)けば、この連中 (れんちゅう)の素姓 (すじょう)が割 (わ)れそうだ。

     Hage atama da to ī, tabako o hoshigaru to ī, soko o tsukkonde ike ba, kono renchū no sujō ga ware sō da.

     Being bald is one thing, longing for cigarettes is another. By chasing after these characteristics, we could reveal who they are.

Related terms

• 割 (わ)る ‎(waru, “split, divide”)
• 分 (わ)かれる ‎(wakareru, “diverge, branch; be divided”)

Derived terms

• 割 (わ)れ物 (もの) ‎(waremono, “breakable, fragile object”)
• 割 (わ)れ目 (め) ‎(wareme, “crack”)

Conjugation