細こまかい

こ

ま

か

い

Common wordJLPTN4Freq.FrequencyTop 5,000

Meanings

i-adjective

small; fine; minute

Describes physical smallness, fine texture, or minute details. Often used for particles, grains, or detailed work.

この砂すなはとても細こまかい。
This sand is very fine.
彼かれは細こまかい作さ業ぎょうが得とく意いだ。

He is good at detailed work.

i-adjective

minor; trivial; insignificant

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).

Written forms

細こまかいUsage93%
Standard kanji spelling for all senses.
こまかいUsage7%
Kana spelling is common in informal writing, but the kanji form is preferred in most contexts.

Kanji

細dainty, get thin, taper

Similar words

小ちいさい
小さい is the general word for 'small' in size, while 細かい emphasizes fineness, granularity, or minuteness.
細ほそい
細い means 'thin' or 'slender' (e.g., a thin stick), whereas 細かい refers to small particles or details.
細こまやか
細やか means 'tender' or 'heartfelt' (e.g., 細やかな心遣い), while 細かい is about physical or figurative smallness.

Etymology

Derived from the adjective 細か (こまか) with the classical adjective ending し, evolving into modern 細かい. The root 細 (こま) is related to fineness or smallness, as seen in words like 細やか and 細工 (さいく).