Translation guide
The English word "scraps" can refer to leftover pieces of food, discarded materials, or small remnants. This guide covers natural Japanese expressions for these meanings, from everyday leftovers to industrial waste.
Referring to uneaten food remaining after a meal, often for disposal or reuse.
Small pieces of material left over from cutting or manufacturing, such as fabric, paper, or metal.
Tiny leftover pieces of something, often scattered or insignificant.
Fragments or small pieces of a broken object; can be used figuratively.
For 'scrap paper' (paper for notes), use メモ用紙 (memo youshi) or 裏紙 (uragami, reused paper). 切れ端 implies small cut pieces, not a pad of paper.
Common word for leftover food, often implying it will be thrown away or fed to animals. Can sound slightly negative.
残飯をゴミ箱に捨てた。
I threw the scraps in the trash.
Literally 'eating leftovers', a neutral term for food left uneaten on a plate.
子供の食べ残しを片付ける。
I clean up the kids' scraps.
Refers to kitchen waste, including food scraps, often in the context of garbage disposal.
生ゴミは毎日捨ててください。
Please throw out the food scraps every day.
General term for offcuts or snippets of cloth, paper, wood, etc.
布の切れ端でパッチワークを作る。
I make a patchwork from fabric scraps.
Often used in woodworking or construction for leftover pieces of material.
端材を使って本棚を作った。
I built a bookshelf using scraps of wood.
Waste, scraps, or refuse; can be used for worthless remnants. Often in compounds.
金属くずをリサイクルに出す。
I take the metal scraps out for recycling.
ガラスのかけらが床に落ちている。
There are scraps of glass on the floor.
Leftovers or remnants of anything, not just food. Can be used for scraps of material or time.
布の残り物で人形を作る。
I make dolls from scraps of cloth.