故障します（こしょうします、koshoushimasu）
- to break down

The Japanese verb 故障します 故障します means "to break down," "to malfunction," "to fail," or "to go wrong." It describes a situation where something, typically a machine, device, or system, stops working correctly or stops working altogether due to a problem. The subject of this verb is usually something that is mechanical or electronic.

⚫︎ 車が故障しました。 Translation: The car broke down. ⚫︎ パソコンが故障しています。 Translation: The computer is malfunctioning. ⚫︎ この機械はよく故障します。 Translation: This machine often breaks down.

⚫︎ Use 故障します 故障します when something is not working as it should. ⚫︎ It is appropriate in a variety of contexts, from describing a broken appliance to a computer glitch or a mechanical failure. ⚫︎ It is commonly used in professional and everyday conversation. ⚫︎ This verb often takes the particle が (ga) to indicate the thing that is broken.

⚫︎ This word is typically written as 故障します. ⚫︎ In hiragana: こしょうします ⚫︎ In kanji: 故障します ⚫︎ The okurigana (the suffix hiragana) is consistent: 故障＋します.

⚫︎ 壊れます（こわれます）：to break; to be broken ⚫︎ 壊れる（こわれる）： to break down; to be broken ⚫︎ 不具合が起こる（ふぐあいが おこる）： to have a problem; to malfunction ⚫︎ 作動しない（さどうしない）： to not function

⚫︎ 正常に動く（せいじょうにうごく）： to work properly ⚫︎ 機能する（きのうする）： to function ⚫︎ 作動する（さどうする）： to operate

エアコンが故障して、部屋が暑いです。 ・Translation: The air conditioner has broken down, and the room is hot. ・Explanation: This sentence describes a situation where the air conditioner is not working, causing the room to be hot.

電車が故障で遅れています。 ・Translation: The train is delayed due to a breakdown. ・Explanation: This sentence explains that the train is late because of a mechanical problem.

⚫︎ 故障 is a noun that means "failure," "breakdown," or "malfunction." ⚫︎ It combines the kanji 故（こ） meaning "cause" or "reason," and 障（しょう）meaning "obstacle" or "hindrance." ⚫︎ The verb します (shimasu) is the polite form of "to do." ⚫︎ Therefore, 故障します literally means "to have a failure," or "to undergo a breakdown."