A braking apparatus (6, 7, 8, 12, 20, 30) for a three-phase brushless motor provided in a motor-driven appliance and having three terminals (U, V, W), the braking apparatus (6, 7, 8, 12, 20, 30) comprising: a switching circuit that includes six switching elements (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5, Q6), the six switching elements being provided in a positive electrode side conduction path that connects the three terminals (U, V, W) with a positive electrode side of a direct current power source and in a negative electrode side conduction path that connects the three terminals (U, V, W) with a negative electrode side of the direct current power source, and adapted to conduct or cut off each of the positive electrode side conduction path and the negative electrode side conduction path; and a brake control device that is configured to perform braking control in which a braking force is generated in the three-phase brushless motor by controlling an on/off state of the six switching elements (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5, Q6) when one of a stop command and a deceleration command of the three-phase brushless motor is input upon rotation of the three-phase brushless motor, wherein the brake control device is configured to be able to perform two-phase short-circuit control in which an on/off state of each of the six switching elements (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5, Q6) is set in such a manner that two out of three conduction paths constituting one of the positive electrode side conduction path and the negative electrode side conduction path are in a conducting state and other of the three conduction paths is in a non-conducting state, the brake control device is configured to be able to perform three-phase short-circuit control in which an on/off state of each of the six switching elements (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5, Q6) in the switching circuit is set in such a manner that the three conduction paths constituting one of the positive electrode side conduction path and the negative electrode side conduction path are brought into a conducting state and the three conduction paths constituting the other are brought into a non-conducting state, and wherein the brake control device is further configured to automatically select the two-phase short-circuit control having low braking force during high-speed rotation of the motor and select the three-phase short-circuit control having high breaking force during low-speed rotation of the motor. a switching circuit that includes six switching elements (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5, Q6), the six switching elements being provided in a positive electrode side conduction path that connects the three terminals (U, V, W) with a positive electrode side of a direct current power source and in a negative electrode side conduction path that connects the three terminals (U, V, W) with a negative electrode side of the direct current power source, and adapted to conduct or cut off each of the positive electrode side conduction path and the negative electrode side conduction path; and a brake control device that is configured to perform braking control in which a braking force is generated in the three-phase brushless motor by controlling an on/off state of the six switching elements (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5, Q6) when one of a stop command and a deceleration command of the three-phase brushless motor is input upon rotation of the three-phase brushless motor, wherein the brake control device is configured to be able to perform two-phase short-circuit control in which an on/off state of each of the six switching elements (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5, Q6) is set in such a manner that two out of three conduction paths constituting one of the positive electrode side conduction path and the negative electrode side conduction path are in a conducting state and other of the three conduction paths is in a non-conducting state, the brake control device is configured to be able to perform three-phase short-circuit control in which an on/off state of each of the six switching elements (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5, Q6) in the switching circuit is set in such a manner that the three conduction paths constituting one of the positive electrode side conduction path and the negative electrode side conduction path are brought into a conducting state and the three conduction paths constituting the other are brought into a non-conducting state, and wherein the brake control device is further configured to automatically select the two-phase short-circuit control having low braking force during high-speed rotation of the motor and select the three-phase short-circuit control having high breaking force during low-speed rotation of the motor.