A piece broken off from a larger whole; often used for physical fragments.
A fragment of the broken plate was lying on the floor.
accomplice; confederate; one of the same group
Refers to a member of a group, often with a negative connotation of being in cahoots; used for partners in crime or fellow members of a dubious group.
The accomplice of the criminal has not been caught yet.
One item from a matched set, such as a shoe, glove, or earring; also used figuratively for a counterpart or the other half of a pair.
One of the socks has gone missing.
Standard kanji spelling.
Rarely used kanji form; 片割れ is preferred.
Compound of 片 (kata, 'one side') + 割れ (ware, 'broken piece'), from the verb 割れる (wareru, 'to break'). The spelling 片破れ is a rare variant using 破 (ha, 'tear/break').