Japanese word

断片

Pronunciation

Romajidanpen

Meaning

  • nounfragment

Example

古い記憶の断片が突然よみがえりました。furu i ki oku no dan pen ga totsu zen yo mi ga e ri ma shi ta

A fragment of an old memory suddenly came back.

Illustration for 断片 (fragment)

More examples

彼の話は断片が多く、全体像がつかみにくいです。kare no hanashi wa dan pen ga ō ku zen tai zō ga tsu ka mi ni ku i de su

His account contains many fragments, making it difficult to grasp the whole picture.

Core concept

Refers to a small part separated from something larger, whether it is a physical object, a text, or a memory.

Common phrases

  • 情報の断片jō hō no dan pen

    fragment of information

  • 記憶の断片ki oku no dan pen

    fragment of memory

  • 断片をつなぎ合わせるdan pen o tsu na gi a wa se ru

    piece together fragments

Similar words

破片hahen: A piece broken off from a solid object, such as glass or stone.
切れ端kirehashi: A narrow piece cut or torn from cloth, paper, or another material.
欠片keppen: A small piece left from something broken, damaged, or used.

Definition in Japanese

全体から切り離された、物や文章、記憶などの一部分。zen tai ka ra ki ri hana sa re ta mono ya bun shō ki oku na do no ichi bu bun

Word origin

Combines 断 (dan, "cut off") and 片 (pen, "piece"), giving the sense of a piece cut off from a whole.

Usage tips

  • In English, fragment also describes an incomplete sentence, so a sentence fragment is a piece of language that does not form a complete sentence.

Other meanings

  • piecenoun
  • scrapnoun
  • shrednoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 断片的danpentekifragmentaryna-adjective
  • 断片化danpenkafragmentationnoun

Word lists with this word