Translation guide
The act of criticizing or pointing out mistakes, often in a petty or overly critical way. In Japanese, this concept is expressed through various verbs, nouns, and set phrases that range from mild complaint to harsh criticism.
To express the act of finding and pointing out someone's mistakes or shortcomings, often in a nagging or petty manner.
Literally 'to search for flaws'. A common, natural phrase for finding fault, often used for petty criticism.
彼はいつも人のあら探しをしている。
He is always finding fault with others.
Idiom meaning to seize on someone's slip of the tongue or minor mistake to criticize them. Implies a nitpicking, often unfair, fault-finding.
彼女は私の言葉の揚げ足を取ってばかりいる。
She is always finding fault with what I say.
To find fault unreasonably; to make an unfair criticism or trumped-up charge. Stronger than あら探し.
上司は私の仕事にいちいち難癖をつける。
My boss finds fault with every little thing I do.
To blame, find fault with, or reproach someone for a wrongdoing. Can be used for moral or social transgressions.
彼は私の遅刻を咎めた。
He found fault with me for being late.
Noun form of あら探しをする. Can be used as 'fault-finding' as a concept.
彼の粗探しは周りを不快にさせる。
His fault-finding makes others uncomfortable.
To express dissatisfaction by pointing out faults, often in a whining or persistent manner.
To complain; to find fault verbally. Very common and versatile.
彼はいつも食事に文句を言う。
He always finds fault with the food.
To grumble or complain, often about trivial things. Implies a whining tone.
彼女は給料について愚痴をこぼしてばかりだ。
She is always finding fault with her salary.
To scold or nag; to find fault in a lecturing way, often from a superior or parent.
母は私の服装に小言を言う。
My mother finds fault with my clothes.
To scrutinize something carefully to find errors or defects, often in a formal or systematic way.
Literally 'to find faults/defects'. A straightforward, neutral expression.
彼は計画の欠点を見つけるのが得意だ。
He is good at finding fault with plans.
To criticize; to find fault in a more analytical or judgmental way. Can be constructive or negative.
彼は新しい政策を厳しく批判した。
He severely found fault with the new policy.
あら探し is a general term for looking for flaws, while 揚げ足を取る specifically refers to seizing on a verbal slip or minor mistake to criticize. The latter often carries a more negative, nitpicking nuance.
あら探しばかりしないで、良いところも見てください。
Don't just find fault; look at the good points too.
彼は私の言い間違いの揚げ足を取った。
He found fault with my slip of the tongue.
Directly translating 'finding fault' as 欠点を見つけている may sound unnatural in many contexts. Use the idiomatic expressions above for more natural Japanese.