How to say "piece" in Japanese

• 作品さくひんJLPT N3approx.Common
  nounThe word for a piece in the artistic sense: a finished creative work such as a book, film, painting or musical composition, as in 'her latest piece'.
  これは母ははの作品さくひんの一ひとつです。↗

  It is something my mother made.
• 切れきれJLPT N3approx.Common
  nounA physical piece cut or torn off from a larger whole — the 'piece' of 'a piece of cloth' or the 'slice' of 'a slice of cake'; not used for artworks or game pieces.
• 作さくJLPT N1approx.Common
  noun, noun (suffix)The 'work of art' sense of 作品 in one-character form; for a standalone 'piece' it is seldom the word you want, and the fuller 作品 is the safer choice.
  この絵えはモネの作さくとされている。↗

  This painting is attributed to Monet.
• 駒こまCommon
  nounFor 'piece' it means only the pieces of board games such as shogi and chess — the objects players move on the board — never a piece of cloth, paper or the like.
  僕ぼくはボードの上うえの駒こまを一ひとつ前まえに進すすめた。↗

  I moved a chess piece on the board one forward.
• 断片だんぺんCommon
  nounA fragment or scrap: an incomplete, broken-off bit of something larger, used especially of intangible things such as memories, information or a story rather than of a neatly cut piece.
  ハードが断片化だんぺんかを起おこしてるみたい。↗

  It looks like your hard disk is fragmented.

For 'piece', pick 作品 for a finished creative work, 「切れ」 for a piece cut or torn from something, 断片 for fragments or scraps, 駒 for board-game pieces; standalone 作 is usually better replaced by 作品.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 作品さくひんwork (e.g. book, film, painting, composition)
• 切れきれpiece
• 作さくwork (e.g. of art)
• 駒こまpiece (in shogi, chess, etc.)
• 断片だんぺんfragment
• ピースpiece
• 呉服物ごふくものpiece
• 一篇いっぺんpiece (e.g. poetry)
• ひとかけらfragment
• ひとひら(one) leaf
• 所蔵品しょぞうひんarticle (in a collection, etc.)
• 端くれはしくれscrap
• 出し物だしもの(theatrical) piece
• 一番いちばんsong (e.g. in noh)