かけら・欠片・欠けらkakera[0]heiban (flat)

1. nounfragment; broken piece; chip; splinter; shard
   彼かれらはパンのかけらを置おくことによって道みちに迷まよわなかった。↗

   Putting pieces of bread prevented them from getting lost.
2. nounounce (of truth, conscience, etc.); trace; shred; scrap
   彼かれは勇気ゆうきのかけらもなかった。↗

   He didn't have a grain of courage.

• Synonym破片はへんNeutralThe neutral word for pieces left when something shatters, as in 「ガラスの破片」; unlike 「欠片」 it is not used for a shred of truth or conscience.
• Synonym断片だんぺんWrittenA written word for fragments or scattered bits of something whole, used mostly of memories and information, as in 「記憶の断片」.
• Synonym一片いっぺんNeutralA single piece, or figuratively a tiny amount, as in 「一片の良心」; slightly literary in feel.
• Synonym切れきれCasualColloquial: a piece cut off or a length of cloth, also the sharpness of a blade; in speech it usually appears as 「一切れ」.
• Synonym微塵みじんWrittenWritten word for fine dust or tiny crumbs, finer than 「欠片」; mostly in 「微塵もない」, meaning not the slightest bit.
• Synonym小片しょうへんWrittenA written word for a small piece or fragment; rare even in prose, so 「かけら」 is what you use in everyday speech.
• SynonymフラグメントWrittenLoanword for a fragment, mostly in computing and academic contexts; for physical broken pieces say 「かけら」 or 「破片」.
• Synonym砕片さいへんWrittenA written word for chips or debris from something shattered; rare, and 「破片」 is the usual choice in daily use.
• Synonym割れわれCasualColloquial: breaking or cracking; also dropping below a figure, as in 「元本割れ」. For the broken-piece sense it is a casual word.
• Synonym欠けかけNeutralA neutral word for a chipped-off corner or fragment, also the waning of the moon; 「欠片」 stresses the piece that has fallen away.
• Synonym細片さいへんWrittenA written word for tiny fragments; rare, with 「かけら」 and 「破片」 the everyday choices.
• Synonym削片さくへんWrittenTechnical term for the chips that fly off when carving or shaving wood or stone.
• Synonym薄片はくへんWrittenA written word for a thin flake or slice, like mica sheets or microscope sections; the emphasis is on thinness.
• Synonym端くれはしくれCasualColloquial: scraps or trimmings cut from an edge; also self-deprecating for a minor member of a profession, as in 「医者の端くれ」.
• Synonym剥片はくへんWrittenTechnical term for a thin piece that has peeled off; in archaeology, a flake struck from stone tools.

For a piece broken off something, 「かけら」 is the everyday word; for shattered glass and the like say 「破片」, and for bits of memory or information 「断片」. To say there is not the slightest amount, use 「かけらもない」 or 「微塵もない」. The rest are written, technical or narrow terms — thin flakes, carving or archaeological chips, scraps — and rarely replace 「かけら」 in speech.

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

1. 物ものの欠かけた一部分いちぶぶん。
2. わずかなことの喩たとえ。「かけらもない」の形かたちで使つかわれることが多おおい。