1.
fault-finding; nitpicking; looking for flaws
The act of deliberately seeking out faults, mistakes, or weaknesses in someone or something. Carries a negative connotation — the person doing it is seen as petty or unfair. Composed of 粗 (coarse, flaw) + 探し (searching).
人の粗探しばかりするな。
Stop always looking for faults in others.
粗探しをしても何も良いことはない。
Nothing good comes from nitpicking.
彼はいつも他人の粗探しをして嫌われている。
He is disliked because he is always looking for faults in other people.
USAGE:
Almost always used with a negative connotation. The person doing 粗探し is seen as petty. Often appears with ばかり (always/only doing) to emphasize the habit.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 粗探しをする (to look for faults)
- 人の粗探し (fault-finding in others)
- 粗探しばかりする (to do nothing but nitpick)
SIMILAR EXPRESSIONS:
難癖をつける means to find fault or make complaints, but implies fabricated or unreasonable criticism. 粗探し implies searching for real flaws.