How to Write 片 (piān/piàn) — Meaning “Piece / Slice / Sheet”

Imagine a single slice of bread or a thin piece of paper standing upright. The left side looks like the edge of the slice, and the right side has two horizontal lines showing the flat surface – perfect for remembering 'piece' or 'sheet'.

Write 片 with 4 strokes: first a left-falling stroke (丿), then a vertical stroke (丨), next a horizontal line (一), and finally a horizontal fold that turns slightly downward (㇆). A common mistake is making the last stroke a simple horizontal line – remember it must bend downward at the end.

Common words include 照片 (zhàopiàn, photo), used when talking about photographs; 名片 (míngpiàn, business card), used in formal introductions or networking; and 卡片 (kǎpiàn, card), used for greeting cards, ID cards, or game cards. These all refer to thin, flat objects.

片 is often used as a measure word for thin, flat items like slices of bread, pieces of paper, or tablets. It also appears in cultural contexts such as 名片 (business card), which is essential for polite introductions in Chinese business culture. Additionally, 片 can mean 'film' or 'movie' in informal speech, like in 片子 (piānzi, film).

Common words containing 片 include: 照片 (zhào piān) — photo; photograph; 名片 (míng piàn) — Business card; 卡片 (kǎ piàn) — card.