Translation guide
Describes someone who is very attentive to detail, cleanliness, or correctness, often to an excessive degree. Japanese has several words that capture different nuances of being fastidious, from positive meticulousness to negative pickiness.
Describing someone who pays great attention to detail and wants things to be exactly right, often in work or personal standards.
A common word for someone who is methodical, precise, and orderly. Often used positively to describe a person who keeps things neat and follows rules carefully.
He has a fastidious personality, and his desk is always tidy.
Literally 'fussy about small things.' Used when someone is overly particular about minor details, often with a negative nuance.
My boss is fastidious about small things, even specifying the font on documents.
Describes a person who is fastidious in the sense of being a perfectionist or obsessive about hobbies and interests, often diving deep into details.
He's so fastidious that he spends hours on his hobby of model building.
Describing someone who is very concerned with cleanliness, often to an excessive degree.
Literally 'cleanliness obsession.' Used for someone who is extremely fastidious about cleanliness, sometimes pathologically so. Can be used lightly or seriously.
She is so fastidious about cleanliness that she washes her hands many times a day.
Means 'likes things clean.' A milder, more positive term for someone who is neat and tidy, but not necessarily obsessive.
Describing someone who is very selective or hard to please, especially with food or preferences.
Literally 'has many likes and dislikes.' Commonly used for picky eaters or people who are choosy in general.
As a child, I was fastidious about food and wouldn't eat any vegetables.
Means 'to be choosy' or 'selective,' often used when someone is fastidious about picking things like clothes, jobs, or partners.
Describing someone who is strict about manners, rules, or proper behavior.
几帳面 (kicchōmen) is about orderliness and precision, often positive. 潔癖症 (keppekishō) is specifically about cleanliness and can imply an obsession. Use 几帳面 for a tidy desk, 潔癖症 for excessive hand-washing.
There is no single Japanese word that covers all nuances of 'fastidious.' Choose the term that matches the specific context: detail-oriented, cleanliness-obsessed, picky, or rule-bound.
母はきれい好きで、家中いつもピカピカだ。
My mother is fastidious about cleanliness, and the house is always sparkling.
He is fastidious about jobs and hasn't found one yet.
Literally 'measuring with a ladle.' Describes someone who is rigidly fastidious about rules, applying them inflexibly.
His fastidious, by-the-book attitude is troublesome.