How to say "chip" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 欠けるかけるichidan verb, intransitive verbThe intransitive verb: something chips or gets chipped — a small piece breaks off its edge or surface, leaving it damaged, as with a cup's rim or a tooth.
- 欠くかくgodan verb, transitive verbThe transitive counterpart: to chip or nick something — you cause a small piece to break from an edge or surface. It is also used to mean to lack something.
- nounA noun for a small piece that has broken off something: a chip or fragment of glass, pottery, or the like. It is usually written in kana rather than with kanji.
- 木片もくへんnounCovers 'chip' only when the piece is wood: a small block, chip, or splinter of wood. For chips of glass, cups, or teeth, this is not the word.
- 破片はへんnounA noun for fragments: the pieces left when something breaks or shatters, like glass or metal debris. It covers 'chip' as a broken piece rather than the act of chipping.
Use the verbs 「欠ける」 when something chips and 「欠く」 when you chip something; among nouns, 「かけら」 is a small broken-off piece, 破片 a fragment of something shattered, and 木片 a chip of wood only.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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