• 片方かたほう — one side
• 破片はへん — fragment, broken piece
• 断片だんぺん — snippet, fragment
• 片手かたて — one hand
• 片思いかたおもい — one-sided love
• 木片もくへん — wood chip

The kanji 片 is a pictograph based on the image of a board or plank split in two, symbolizing “one side” or “a piece.” It can represent imbalance or partiality, and frequently appears in compound words that emphasize a half or fragment of something.

As a radical (片へん), it appears on the left in compound kanji like 版 (printing plate) and 頁 (page).

靴くつの 片方かたほうが 見みつからない。
I can’t find one side of my shoes.

彼かれの 片思かたおもいは 切せつない。
His one-sided love is heartbreaking.

“ヘン” is common in compounds, especially in technical or abstract contexts. “かた” appears more often in everyday phrases such as 片方 (one side) or 片思い (unrequited love).