Today, I am going to share the homework correction from my JLPT N4 course!
The student’s sentence is not correct. Can you find the mistake?

 

[Student’s sentence]

台風でまどがこわれました。

*たいふうでまどがこわれました。

 

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[My correction]

台風でまどがこわれました。
→台風でまどがわれました。
A window was broken by the typhoon.

 

こわれる(壊れる) is used when a machine or functional object breaks or loses its function.
われる(割れる) is used when a force is applied to a hard object and it breaks into multiple parts. Especially, for fragile things.

You should use われる in this sentence because the window is a fragile item and something hit it during the typhoon, causing it to break into several pieces.

 

e.g.
お皿(さら)を洗(あら)っているとき、手(て)がすべってわれました。
While washing dishes, my hand slipped and I broke a plate.

たまごを落(お)として、われてしまいました。
I dropped eggs and they got broken.

れいぞうこがこわれたので、冷(つめ)たいジュースが飲(の)めません。
I can’t drink cold juice because the refrigerator is broken.

ねこがいたずらして、パソコンがこわれた。
My cat touched my computer and broke it.

 

I hope my explanation helps you. 😊

 

In the JLPT course, all lessons come with homework. If you submit your homework, I will reply with corrections.
I can break down the Japanese grammar and point out mistakes, explaining the structure and nuances of Japanese in an easy-to-understand way.
You can also ask me any questions in as much detail as you want. I will teach you until you get it!