片刻 (piànkè) · a moment

片 piàn · slice

What 片 is made of

片 is not built from smaller parts; it is written with 4 strokes.

Origin hint: Half of a tree trunk; compare 爿 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

刻 kè · quarter (of an hour)

What 刻 is made of

• 亥hài — 12th terrestrial branch
  • 亠tóu — lid
    • 丶 — dot
    • 一 — horizontal stroke
• 刂dāo — knife
  • 丨 — vertical stroke
  • 亅 — hook

Origin hint: 刂 gives the meaning, 亥 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)