1.
to nitpick; to be fussy about details; to split hairs
To point out or complain about small, trivial matters. Often used with a mildly negative nuance, implying that the person is being overly particular or pedantic about things that don't really matter.
そんな細かいことを言わないで。
Don't be so nitpicky.
彼はいつも細かいことを言うので、周りから嫌われている。
He's always nitpicking, so people around him don't like him.
細かいことを言うようだけど、書類の日付が間違っているよ。
I don't mean to nitpick, but the date on the document is wrong.
A common set phrase built from 細かい (detailed, fine) + こと (things) + を + 言う (to say). The expression is used both to criticize someone for being overly particular and as a self-deprecating hedge when pointing something out oneself.
The hedge pattern 細かいことを言うようだけど... (I don't mean to nitpick, but...) is very common in workplace settings and polite conversation when one needs to raise a minor issue without seeming difficult.
COMMON PATTERNS:
- 細かいことを言わないで: don't nitpick
- 細かいことを言うようだけど: I don't mean to nitpick, but...
- 細かいことばかり言う: to always nitpick
- 細かいことを言い出す: to start nitpicking
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 口うるさい: nagging; fussy — describes a person who habitually criticizes
- 重箱の隅をつつく: to poke at the corners of a stacked box — to nitpick obsessively (more emphatic)
- 些細なことにこだわる: to fixate on trivial matters — neutral phrasing