破片

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 破片 is read as はへん and is a noun for a small fragment or shard broken off from a larger object.
• Basic usage: Pieces of a plate appear in 割れた皿の破片, while excavated pottery pieces appear in 土器の破片.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Whole and fragment
  • It denotes a separated piece left after breakage, not the original object as a whole.
• Fragment and shard
  • Fragment is general; shard particularly suits a hard, possibly sharp piece of glass or pottery.