smash

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 砕 has 9 strokes and concerns breaking a solid object into small pieces.
• Basic usage: 砕く is read くだく, and 砕ける is read くだける.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Crushing and shattering
  • 氷を小さく砕いて means crushing ice into small pieces. With 砕く, を marks what is crushed.
  • 皿が細かく砕けた means the plate shattered into small pieces. With 砕ける, the object that breaks is the subject.
  • 口調が砕けてきた means the tone became more casual. This figurative use concerns speech becoming less formal.