木こっ端ぱ役やく人にん

こ

っ

ぱ

や

く

に

ん

Meanings

1

noun

petty official; minor bureaucrat

derogatory

Derogatory term for a low-ranking, insignificant official or bureaucrat. Often used to criticize someone who wields their tiny authority arrogantly.

あの木こっ端ぱ役やく人にんが、またつまらない規き則そくを押おし付つけてきた。
That petty official pushed another pointless rule on us again.

彼かれはただの木こっ端ぱ役やく人にんに過すぎないのに、やけに威い張ばっている。

He's nothing more than a minor bureaucrat, but he acts so high and mighty.

Written forms

木こっ端ぱ役やく人にん
Standard spelling with small-tsu っ.
木端役人こっぱやくにん
irregular okurigana
Irregular okurigana variant; the small-tsu is omitted but the reading remains こっぱやくにん.

Kanji

木tree, wood
端edge, origin, end
役duty, war, campaign
人person

Similar words

役やく人にん
Neutral term for a government official or bureaucrat, without the derogatory nuance of 木っ端役人.
小こ役やく人にん
Literally 'minor official'; less common and less inherently derogatory than 木っ端役人, though it can still imply low rank.

Etymology

木っ端 (こっぱ, 'wood chip' or 'splinter') metaphorically suggests something small and worthless, combined with 役人 (やくにん, 'official'). The term paints a picture of a trivial, insignificant bureaucrat.