断片

• Reading: だんぺん
• Romaji: danpen
• Kanji breakdown: 断 (dan) — to cut, sever | 片 (pen) — piece, fragment
• Pronunciation: /dan.pen/

Meaning

Fragment; piece; scrap; snippet. A small, broken-off part of a larger whole.

A noun used both literally (a physical fragment of an object) and figuratively (a fragment of memory, information, or narrative). The figurative use — particularly 記憶の断片 (fragments of memory) and 情報の断片 (scraps of information) — is extremely common in literary and journalistic writing. The derived adjective 断片的な (fragmentary) is also widely used.

Examples

1. 記憶の断片をつなぎ合わせ、事件当日の出来事を再構成しようとした。 He tried to piece together fragments of memory to reconstruct the events of the day of the incident.
2. 発掘調査で壺の断片が発見され、現地の歴史解明に大きな手がかりを与えた。 Fragments of a jar were discovered during the excavation, providing a major clue to understanding the local history.
3. 断片的な情報だけでは、事件の全体像を正確に把握することはできない。 With only fragmentary information, it is impossible to accurately grasp the full picture of the case.

Usage Guide

Context: literature, history, journalism, memory

Tone: descriptive

Origin & History

Compound of 断 (dan) meaning 'to cut, sever' and 片 (pen) meaning 'piece, one-sided, fragment'. Both characters convey the idea of incompleteness and detachment from a whole.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: Adults

Social background: Universal