also: しよう
branches and leaves; foliage
Literal botanical sense referring to the branches and leaves of a tree or plant.
The branches and leaves of the garden tree had grown too much, so I pruned them.
noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
unimportant details; nonessentials; side issue
Figurative use referring to minor or peripheral matters, often contrasted with the main point. The reading しよう is especially associated with this sense, as in the compound 枝葉末節.
See also: 枝葉末節
In the meeting, we got caught up in side issues and couldn't get to the main topic.
Let's focus on the essence without getting hung up on trivial details.
That issue is nothing but a minor detail; let's think about the essential point.
The gardener trimmed the branches and leaves of the tree.
The discussion got bogged down in minor details and never reached the main topic.
些末 is a more formal, purely abstract word for 'trivial,' while 枝葉 keeps a vivid botanical image of branches and leaves as the metaphor for unimportant details.
些細 is a common na-adjective for 'minor, trifling' used for everyday small matters, whereas 枝葉 specifically frames something as peripheral to a main point.
Standard kanji spelling for both literal and figurative senses.
Rare reading used mainly in the figurative sense, especially in the compound 枝葉末節.
Compound of 枝 (branch) and 葉 (leaf). The figurative sense of 'unimportant details' derives from the idea that branches and leaves are peripheral compared to the trunk or root.