切(き)れ端(はし)

きれはし
noun
scrap; fragment; cut piece
1. scrap; fragment; cut piece; remnant
A small piece left over after cutting fabric, paper, food, or other materials.
布(ぬの)の切(き)れ端(はし)で雑巾(ぞうきん)を作(つく)った。
I made a cleaning cloth from scraps of fabric.
紙(かみ)の切(き)れ端(はし)にメモを書(か)いた。
I wrote a note on a scrap of paper.
木材(もくざい)の切(き)れ端(はし)を集(あつ)めて子供(こども)の工作(こうさく)に使(つか)った。
I gathered wood scraps and used them for the children's craft project.

A compound of 切(き)れ (a cut piece, from 切(き)る) and 端(はし) (edge, end). Refers to leftover pieces from cutting — fabric, paper, wood, or food. Often implies something small and potentially useful for secondary purposes.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 布(ぬの)の切(き)れ端(はし): fabric scrap
  • 紙(かみ)の切(き)れ端(はし): scrap of paper
  • 木(き)の切(き)れ端(はし): wood scrap
  • 肉(にく)の切(き)れ端(はし): meat trimmings

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • 端切(はぎ)れ: fabric remnant — specifically for cloth
  • 断片(だんぺん): fragment — more abstract, used for information or memories as well
  • 破片(はへん): fragment; shard — implies something broken, like glass or pottery
general
Added 2026.4.1 6:35
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