落ちる
Meaning: To crash — when an app, game, system, or website suddenly stops working or shuts down unexpectedly.
While 落ちる literally means 'to fall,' in tech contexts it is universally used to describe software crashing, servers going down, or systems failing. This usage has been part of Japanese tech vocabulary since the early internet era. It is used across all levels of formality, from casual complaints to semi-formal incident reports.
Examples
- ゲーム中にアプリ落ちて全部やり直しになった。 游戏中途应用闪退了,全部得重来。La aplicación se cerró en medio de la partida y tuve que empezar de nuevo.게임 중에 앱이 죽어서 전부 다시 해야 했어.
- Zoomが急に落ちて会議中断しちゃった。 Zoom突然崩了,会议被中断了。Se cayó el Zoom de repente y se interrumpió la reunión.Zoom이 갑자기 죽어서 회의가 중단됐어.
- このアプリ最近よく落ちるんだけど、アップデートしたほうがいい? 这个应用最近老是闪退,是不是该更新了?Últimamente esta aplicación se cierra mucho, ¿debería actualizarla?이 앱 요즘 자주 죽는데, 업데이트하는 게 좋을까?
Pronunciation
/o.tɕi.ɾu/
Usage Guide
Context: tech discussion, daily conversation, gaming, work
Tone: frustrated, matter-of-fact
✓ Do Say
- アプリがまた落ちた、イライラする。 (The app crashed again, so frustrating.)应用又崩了,好烦。(The app crashed again, so frustrating.)Se ha vuelto a cerrar la aplicación, qué frustración.앱이 또 죽었어, 짜증나. (앱이 또 다운됐어, 답답해.)
- サーバー落ちてるみたいだから待つしかない。 (Looks like the server is down, we just have to wait.)服务器好像挂了,只能等了。(Looks like the server is down, we just have to wait.)Parece que el servidor se ha caído, no queda más que esperar.서버 죽은 것 같으니까 기다릴 수밖에 없어. (서버가 다운된 것 같으니까 기다려야 해.)
✗ Don't Say
- 障害報告で「落ちました」だけだと情報不足 — 状況を詳しく説明する (Just saying 'it crashed' in an incident report lacks detail — describe the situation fully)在故障报告中只说「崩了」信息量不够——应该详细描述具体情况Decir solo 'se ha caído' en un informe de incidencias es insuficiente — describe la situación en detalle장애 보고에서 「죽었습니다」만으로는 정보가 부족하다 — 상황을 자세히 설명할 것 (장애 보고에서 '다운됐습니다'만 쓰면 정보 부족 — 상황을 상세히 설명해야 한다)
Common Mistakes
- Not distinguishing between the app crashing (アプリが落ちる) and the server going down (サーバーが落ちる) — different causes, same verb
Origin & History
Extension of 落ちる (to fall/drop) to technology. Has been used in computing contexts since at least the 1990s, mirroring the English usage of 'crash' or 'go down.' One of the oldest tech slang terms in Japanese.
Cultural Context
Era: 1990s computing era, still universal
Generation: All ages
Social background: Universal
Regional notes: Used across all of Japan. One of the most fundamental tech vocabulary words in Japanese.
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