細かい · i-adjective
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | 細かい | 細かくない |
| Polite | 細かいです | 細かくないですalso 細かくありません |
| Past polite | 細かかったです | 細かくなかったですalso 細かくありませんでした |
| Past | 細かかった | 細かくなかった |
| Te-form | 細かくて | 細かくなくて |
| Adverbial | 細かく | |
| Conditional | 細かければ | 細かくなければ |
| Tara conditional | 細かかったら | 細かくなかったら |
Describes physical smallness, fine texture, or minute details. Often used for particles, grains, or detailed work.
This sand is very fine.
彼は細かい作業が得意だ。
He is good at detailed work.
Refers to matters of little importance, often used in phrases like 細かいこと (minor details) or 細かいことにこだわる (to be particular about trivial things).
See also: 細かいこと
細かいことは気にしないでください。
Please don't worry about minor details.
sensitive; attentive to detail
Used for a person who is perceptive or meticulous, especially in noticing small things. Often appears in the phrase 神経が細かい (to be sensitive or high-strung).
See also: 神経が細かい
彼女は細かいところによく気がつく。
She is very attentive to small details.
careful with money; frugal; stingy
Describes a person who is meticulous about money, ranging from thrifty to miserly. Context determines whether it is positive (frugal) or negative (stingy).
彼はお金に細かい。
He is careful with money.
細かい人だと思われたくない。
I don't want to be seen as a stingy person.
The teacher explained the procedure in detail.
He's a person who's very particular about money.
He's someone who pays attention even to the smallest details.
I cut the vegetables into small pieces and put them in the soup.
細かい is a common, everyday word for fine or minor detail (including physical smallness), while 綿密 is a more formal word for systematic, careful thoroughness.
細かい describes something as small, fine, or detailed in general, while 小刻み specifically focuses on repeated small cuts, movements, or increments.
細かい means 'fine' or 'detailed' and can be neutral or negative (nitpicky), whereas 丹念 carries a positive nuance of devoted, careful effort.
細かい means 'detailed' or 'fussy' and can sound negative if overly particular, while 丁寧 has a positive nuance of conscientious, respectful care.
細かい is an adjective describing something as small or fine, whereas 細々 is an adverb/する-verb describing the manner of explaining or doing something in detail.
細かい means 'fine, detailed, small in grain' while 細め means 'somewhat thin/narrow in width', though both share the kanji 細 and can be mixed up by learners.
細かい means 'detailed' or 'fine' (as in small pieces or precise information), whereas 細々 describes a weak, meager, or barely-continuing state; learners confuse them due to the shared kanji.
smooth; fine-textured · meticulous; painstaking; detailed
minutely; finely; in detail