難癖(なんくせ)

なんくせ
noun
fault-finding; complaint; pretext
communication
1. fault-finding; nitpicking; unreasonable complaint
A baseless or trivial complaint made to find fault with something or someone. Often implies the complaint is unjustified or made with ulterior motives.
難癖(なんくせ)をつけるな。
Stop nitpicking.
客(きゃく)が料理(りょうり)に難癖(なんくせ)をつけてきた。
A customer started finding fault with the food.
あの上司(じょうし)は何(なに)かにつけて難癖(なんくせ)をつけるので、部下(ぶか)たちは困(こま)っている。
That boss finds fault with everything, so the subordinates are at a loss.

Usage: 難癖(なんくせ) almost always appears in the pattern 難癖(なんくせ)をつける (to find fault with, to make an unreasonable complaint). The word carries a strong negative connotation — the complaint is seen as unjustified or petty.

Common patterns

  • [target]に難癖(なんくせ)をつける (to find fault with [something])

Common collocations

Similar words

  • 難癖(なんくせ): unreasonable, unjustified fault-finding
  • いちゃもん: picking a fight, making trouble (more colloquial)
  • ケチをつける: to find fault, to criticize (colloquial)

Related Words

Compare: いちゃもん (picking a fight, making trouble)
Compare: けちをつける (to find fault, to criticize)
general
Added 2026.3.5 19:21 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
15000/15237_nankuse