Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.
片言 (かたこと) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
JLPT N1 Freq. Frequency Top 50,000 Meanings 1
noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
broken speech ; halting language ; baby talk ; smattering
Refers to speech that is imperfect, halting, or fragmentary. Can describe a child's early speech, a non-native speaker's broken language, or someone speaking with difficulty. Often used in the phrase 片言を言う.
The baby started babbling.
Written forms 片かた 言こと Usage 72%
Standard kanji spelling. The reading かたこと is the primary pronunciation.
カタコト Usage 24%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling often used for emphasis or when describing non-native, broken speech.
かたこと Usage 4%
Similar words たどたどしい An adjective describing hesitant, faltering speech or movement, whereas 片言 is a noun referring to the broken language itself.
ブロークン Loanword from English 'broken', used specifically for non-native, grammatically flawed language, often in ブロークンイングリッシュ. 片言 is broader and includes baby talk or halting speech.
Etymology Compound of 片 (kata, 'one side, fragmentary') and 言 (koto, 'word, speech'). The reading かたこと is a kun'yomi compound. The katakana form カタコト is a modern phonetic rendering.
