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.

Kanji

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

Related 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.

Built from

木こっ端ぱ+役やく人にん

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.

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.