いざこざ

い

ざ

こ

ざ

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

Refers to minor disputes, friction, or complications between people, often in personal relationships or small groups. Not used for large-scale conflicts.

隣りん人じんとのいざこざが絶たえない。
There's constant friction with the neighbors.
ささいないざこざから大おおげんかになった。
A trivial quarrel turned into a big fight.

See all 12 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉との間あいだにいざこざが起おこるfriction arises between (someone) and (someone else)
隣りん人じんとの間あいだにいざこざが起おこった。
Some friction arose between me and my neighbor.
いざこざを起おこすto stir up trouble or friction
彼かれはいつも職しょく場ばでいざこざを起おこす。
He always stirs up trouble at work.
いざこざに巻まき込こまれるto get caught up in a petty dispute
うっかり親しん戚せきのいざこざに巻まき込こまれてしまった。
I ended up getting caught up in a family squabble.
いざこざを解かい決けつするto settle a petty dispute
二人ふたりはようやくいざこざを解かい決けつした。
The two of them finally settled their dispute.

Related words

揉もめ事ごと
もめごと is a broader term covering any kind of dispute or trouble, while いざこざ specifically suggests petty, recurring friction between people.
トラブルN2
トラブル is a general loanword for any problem or malfunction, whereas いざこざ is limited to small-scale interpersonal friction.
ゴタゴタ
ごたごた emphasizes messy confusion or disorder arising from trouble, while いざこざ focuses more narrowly on the friction between the people involved.
争あらそいN2
争い can describe conflicts of any size or seriousness, including fights or wars, while いざこざ is reserved for minor, everyday squabbles.

Don't confuse with

諍いさかい
いさかい (a quarrel or spat) sounds similar to いざこざ but refers to a single argument, whereas いざこざ suggests ongoing petty friction or complications.

Written forms

いざこざUsage89%
Standard hiragana spelling; no kanji form is given.
イザコザUsage11%
Katakana variant sometimes used for emphasis or in casual writing.

Etymology

The origin is uncertain. It is a native Japanese word, possibly a reduplicative mimetic expression suggesting small, repeated clashes.