かけら

か

け

ら

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

usually written using kana alone

Refers to a small broken-off piece of a physical object, such as glass, pottery, or wood.

usually written using kana alone

Used figuratively for a tiny amount of an abstract quality, often in expressions like 一片のかけらもない (not even a shred).

〈物もの〉のかけらa fragment/piece of 〈物〉
ガラスのかけらが床ゆかに散ちらばっていた。
Shards of glass were scattered on the floor.
〈事こと〉のかけらもないnot even a shred of 〈事〉
彼かれには良りょう心しんのかけらもない。
He doesn't have a shred of conscience.
かけらを拾ひろうto pick up a fragment/piece
割われた茶ちゃ碗わんのかけらを一ひとつずつ拾ひろった。
I picked up the pieces of the broken teacup one by one.

破は片へんN2sense 1
破片 is a more formal, technical term for a fragment (e.g. in accident reports), while かけら is the everyday, often smaller and softer-sounding word, and can also be used figuratively.
断だん片ぺんN1sense 1
断片 refers to a fragment of something abstract like memory, information, or text, whereas かけら is more concrete, describing a broken piece of a physical object (though it too can extend figuratively).
一いっ片ぺん sense 1
一片 is typically used attributively with の to modify another noun (一片の紙), while かけら stands alone as a noun for the broken piece itself.
木もく片へん
かけら is a casual, general word for a small broken-off bit of anything, while 木片 is the more formal term specifically for a piece of wood.

個こN5sense 1
かけら is usually counted with 個 for small, countable fragments, as in 欠片が二個見つかった (two fragments were found).
片へん
Literary counter for fragments and wisps — petals, cloud wisps, shards (一片).

かけらUsage78%
Usually written in kana; the kanji form 欠片 is also common but It is usually written in kana.
欠片かけらUsage12%
Common kanji spelling; the reading かけら is standard for this form.
カケラUsage9%
欠かけら
Rare kanji-kana mixed spelling; not commonly used.

Derived from the verb 欠ける (かける, 'to be chipped or broken off'), with the nominalizing suffix ら. The kanji 欠片 literally means 'missing piece'.