Translation guide
Describes arguments or conflicts about trivial or meaningless matters. Japanese often uses set phrases or verbs that emphasize the pettiness of the dispute.
To express that people are quarreling over something unimportant or meaningless.
A straightforward way to say 'fighting over nothing'. つまらない means 'trivial' or 'silly', and 喧嘩する means 'to quarrel/fight'.
彼らはいつもつまらないことで喧嘩している。
They are always fighting over nothing.
どうでもいい means 'it doesn't matter' or 'trivial', and 言い争う means 'to argue verbally'. Emphasizes the pointlessness of the argument.
To describe someone blowing a minor issue out of proportion or creating conflict where none exists.
An idiom meaning 'to exaggerate a small thing into a big one', literally 'calling a needle a big pole'. Used when someone makes a mountain out of a molehill.
彼はいつも針小棒大に言うから、話半分に聞いたほうがいい。
He always exaggerates, so you should take what he says with a grain of salt.
Directly translating 'fighting over nothing' as 「無を巡って戦う」 or similar would sound unnatural. Use the set phrases provided.
そんなどうでもいいことで言い争うのはやめよう。
Let's stop arguing over such a trivial thing.
些細 means 'trivial/minor', and 揉める means 'to have a dispute' or 'to get into a tangle'. Slightly more formal or written.
会議で些細なことで揉めて時間を無駄にした。
We wasted time in the meeting arguing over trivial matters.
Literally 'water-splashing argument', meaning an endless, pointless dispute where neither side yields. Often used for futile debates.
その議論は水掛け論に終わった。
The discussion ended up being a pointless argument.
大げさ means 'exaggerated', and 騒ぐ means 'to make a fuss'. Describes overreacting to something minor.
ちょっとしたミスで大げさに騒がないで。
Don't make a big fuss over a small mistake.
Literally 'making a big commotion over nothing'. Very natural for casual speech.
彼女は何でもないことで大騒ぎする癖がある。
She has a habit of making a big deal out of nothing.