砕く

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 砕く, read くだく, joins the crushing stem 砕 with the verb ending く.
• Basic usage: Use it for breaking a hard object into smaller pieces, as in 氷を砕く.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Grammar and combinations
  • It is transitive, with the broken object taking を; something breaking apart intransitively is 砕ける.