UNIT 9
Housing, Home & Garbage Rules
Housing, Home & Garbage Rules
Lesson 3: Problems at Home
こわれました — Reporting Breakdowns and Home Troubles
⏱️ About 25 minutes ／ 📊 Level: Beginner (N5) ／ 🗣️ Speaking + Reading
Before You Start
Home problems happen to everyone — a broken air conditioner in summer, no hot water in winter, a clogged toilet. In Japan, it is important to report these issues to your landlord or management company clearly and promptly. This lesson gives you all the phrases you need to describe what broke, what doesn’t work, and to request a repair.
What you will learn:
- Say something broke — 壊れました
- Say something doesn’t work — 動きません
- Report no electricity — 電気がつきません
- Report no water or hot water — 水が出ません / お湯が出ません
- Report a broken air conditioner — エアコンが動きません
- Report a clogged toilet — トイレが詰まりました
- Request a repair — 修理をお願いします
1. Key Phrases ／ きほんのフレーズ
壊れました。
Kowaremashita.
It broke.
動きません。
Ugokimasen.
It does not work.
電気がつきません。
Denki ga tsukimasen.
The light does not turn on.
水が出ません。
Mizu ga demasen.
Water does not come out.
お湯が出ません。
Oyu ga demasen.
Hot water does not come out.
エアコンが動きません。
Eakon ga ugokimasen.
The air conditioner does not work.
トイレが詰まりました。
Toire ga tsumarimashita.
The toilet is clogged.
修理をお願いします。
Shuuri o onegaishimasu.
Please repair it.
2. Phrase Notes ／ ポイント
① 壊れました vs 動きません — two ways to say “it’s broken”
壊れました = “It broke” — describes a physical breakage or damage (past tense). 動きません = “It doesn’t work / move” — describes a current non-functioning state. You can combine them: 壊れました。動きません = “It broke. It doesn’t work.”
エアコンが動きません。The air conditioner doesn’t work.
洗濯機が動きません。The washing machine doesn’t work.
ドアが壊れました。The door broke.
② 〇〇が出ません — “〇〇 doesn’t come out”
出ません = “doesn’t come out” — the negative of 出ます (to come out). Used for water, hot water, gas, and similar utilities that “flow.”
水が出ません。Water doesn’t come out.
お湯が出ません。Hot water doesn’t come out.
ガスが出ません。Gas doesn’t come out.
③ 修理をお願いします — always end with this
After describing the problem, always follow up with 修理をお願いします = “Please repair it.” This makes clear that you are requesting action, not just reporting. You can also say 確認をお願いします = “Please check it” if you are unsure whether it needs repair or just inspection.
⚠️ Common Mistake
Don’t say トイレが壊れました for a clogged toilet — the correct phrase is トイレが詰まりました (“the toilet is clogged”). 詰まりました specifically means “became blocked / clogged.” Using 壊れました would imply structural damage.
Don’t say トイレが壊れました for a clogged toilet — the correct phrase is トイレが詰まりました (“the toilet is clogged”). 詰まりました specifically means “became blocked / clogged.” Using 壊れました would imply structural damage.
3. Home Problem Words ／ トラブルのことば
🔧 Things That Break
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| エアコン | eakon | air conditioner |
| 電気 | denki | electricity / light |
| 水 | mizu | water |
| お湯 | oyu | hot water |
| トイレ | toire | toilet |
🚨 Problem Verbs
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| 壊れました | kowaremashita | broke / is broken |
| 動きません | ugokimasen | doesn’t work / move |
| 出ません | demasen | doesn’t come out |
| 詰まりました | tsumarimashita | became clogged |
| つきません | tsukimasen | doesn’t turn on |
4. Conversation Practice ／ かいわ
💬 Conversation 1 — Air Conditioner Not Working
💬 Conversation 2 — No Hot Water
💬 Conversation 3 — Clogged Toilet
💬 Conversation 4 — Light Not Turning On
5. Vocabulary ／ たんご
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| 壊れました | kowaremashita | broke / is broken |
| 動きません | ugokimasen | doesn’t work |
| 電気 | denki | electricity / light |
| つきません | tsukimasen | doesn’t turn on |
| 水 | mizu | water |
| お湯 | oyu | hot water |
| 詰まりました | tsumarimashita | became clogged |
| 修理 | shuuri | repair |
6. Check Your Understanding ／ クイズ
Think about each question first. Answers and explanations are shown below.
Q1. What does 「壊れました。」 mean?
A. It doesn’t work. B. It broke. C. Please repair it. D. It is clogged.
Answer: B
壊れました = “It broke.” Past tense — describes a physical breakage. 動きません describes the current non-working state. Both are often used together.
壊れました = “It broke.” Past tense — describes a physical breakage. 動きません describes the current non-working state. Both are often used together.
Q2. What does 「お湯が出ません。」 mean?
A. There is no water. B. The light doesn’t turn on. C. Hot water doesn’t come out. D. The toilet is clogged.
Answer: C
お湯 = hot water. 出ません = doesn’t come out. A very common and urgent problem in winter — report it immediately to management.
お湯 = hot water. 出ません = doesn’t come out. A very common and urgent problem in winter — report it immediately to management.
Q3. How do you say “The air conditioner does not work”?
A. エアコンが壊れました。 B. エアコンが出ません。 C. エアコンが動きません。 D. エアコンが詰まりました。
Answer: C
エアコンが動きません = “The air conditioner doesn’t work.” 動きません is the most natural verb for mechanical items that fail to operate.
エアコンが動きません = “The air conditioner doesn’t work.” 動きません is the most natural verb for mechanical items that fail to operate.
Q4. What does 「トイレが詰まりました。」 mean?
A. The toilet doesn’t work. B. The toilet light is off. C. The toilet is broken. D. The toilet is clogged.
Answer: D
詰まりました = became clogged / blocked. Specifically use this verb for plumbing clogs. Do not use 壊れました for a clogged toilet.
詰まりました = became clogged / blocked. Specifically use this verb for plumbing clogs. Do not use 壊れました for a clogged toilet.
Q5. What does 「電気がつきません。」 mean?
A. The electricity is expensive. B. The electricity is cut off. C. The light does not turn on. D. The electricity is strong.
Answer: C
電気がつきません = “The light doesn’t turn on.” つきます = turns on (for lights). つきません = doesn’t turn on.
電気がつきません = “The light doesn’t turn on.” つきます = turns on (for lights). つきません = doesn’t turn on.
Q6. After explaining a problem, what do you say to request a repair?
A. 修理をお願いします。 B. 壊れました。 C. 動きません。 D. 確認をお願いします。
Answer: A
修理をお願いします = “Please repair it.” Always say this after describing the problem. D (確認をお願いします) = “Please check it” — use this when you want an inspection rather than immediate repair.
修理をお願いします = “Please repair it.” Always say this after describing the problem. D (確認をお願いします) = “Please check it” — use this when you want an inspection rather than immediate repair.
7. Match the Meaning ／ れんしゅう
壊れました。 → ______
動きません。 → ______
電気がつきません。 → ______
水が出ません。 → ______
お湯が出ません。 → ______
トイレが詰まりました。 → ______
修理をお願いします。 → ______
Choices: A. Hot water doesn’t come out. B. Please repair it. C. The toilet is clogged. D. It broke. E. Water doesn’t come out. F. The light doesn’t turn on. G. It doesn’t work.
Answers: 壊れました = D ／ 動きません = G ／ 電気がつきません = F ／ 水が出ません = E ／ お湯が出ません = A ／ トイレが詰まりました = C ／ 修理をお願いします = B
🚀 Mini Mission
Today’s mission: Report a home problem in Japanese.
Practice with your teacher. Take turns as the resident and the management company. Use these three steps:
① 〇〇が壊れました / 動きません / 詰まりました。／ ② 修理をお願いします。／ ③ いつ来られますか。
📘 Review ／ まとめ
In this lesson you learned how to describe home problems clearly and request repairs.
〇〇が壊れました。(〇〇 broke.)
〇〇が動きません。(〇〇 doesn’t work.)
〇〇が出ません。(〇〇 doesn’t come out.)
修理をお願いします。(Please repair it.)
〇〇が動きません。(〇〇 doesn’t work.)
〇〇が出ません。(〇〇 doesn’t come out.)
修理をお願いします。(Please repair it.)
💡 The formula is: 〇〇 (what) + problem verb + 修理をお願いします. Name the thing, describe the problem, then request the repair. Short, clear, and effective.
FAQ
Q. Who do I contact when something in my apartment breaks?
Contact your 管理会社 (management company) or 大家さん (landlord). Their contact number is usually on your lease contract (契約書) or a notice board in your building’s entrance. Always report by phone or in writing so there is a record.
Q. Am I responsible for paying for repairs?
It depends. In Japan, the landlord is generally responsible for repairs to fixtures that were already in the apartment (air conditioner, water heater, etc.) due to normal wear. However, if you caused the damage accidentally, you may be responsible. When reporting a problem, describe exactly what happened and don’t worry about blame — management will assess the cause.
Q. What if the management company doesn’t respond quickly?
Call again and say: まだ直っていません (“It still hasn’t been fixed”). For urgent issues like no hot water or a clogged toilet, emphasize urgency with 急いでいます (“I’m in a hurry / this is urgent”) or 今日お願いできますか (“Can you come today?”).
🏠 Practice with a real teacher
Want to Practice with a Teacher?
Reporting home problems clearly is an essential life skill in Japan. Try a free trial lesson and practise the full reporting conversation with a professional teacher.
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