Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 些細な | sasai na |
| 無意味な | muimi na |
The word describes things that are not important or significant. You can use 些細な for things that are small in scale or detail, such as a trivial matter or a slight mistake. In contrast, 無意味な is used for things that lack purpose or value, such as a meaningless or pointless action. Other ways to express insignificance include describing something as having low value (価値が低い), being tiny or trivial in casual conversation (ちっぽけ) or using formal expressions to describe something as not worth considering (取るに足りない) or lacking importance (重要性が乏しい).
Which one should you use?
些細な is used for insignificant things in terms of scale or detail, like a slight mistake. 無意味な is used for things that are insignificant in terms of purpose or value, like a pointless action.
How do you pronounce it?
sasai na
Did you know?
- The phrase 取るに足りない (toru ni tarinai) literally translates to 'not enough to take', implying that the subject is so insignificant it is not even worth the effort of picking it up.
- In Japanese culture, describing one's own achievements as 些細な is often a social strategy for modesty. It signals that the speaker is humble and avoids appearing boastful to others.
- The word ちっぽけ for 'tiny' or 'insignificant' is an onomatopoeic expression. It mimics the feeling of something being small and fragile rather than just describing a physical measurement.
Examples in context
- 彼の意見は重要性が乏しいです。His opinion is insignificant.
- 彼の言葉は取るに足りないです。His words are insignificant.
- その問題はちっぽけだよ。That problem is insignificant.
- これはささいな問題だから気にしないで。This is a trivial problem, so don't worry about it.
- 些細なミスで失敗した。sasai na misu de shippai shita.I failed because of a trivial mistake.
- そんな些細なことは気にしないで。sonna sasai na koto wa ki ni shinaide.Don't worry about such an insignificant thing.
- 些細な違いはあまり重要ではない。sasai na chigai wa amari juuyou de wa nai.The minor differences are not very important.
Example conversation
A couple is talking about a small disagreement at work.
- 陽太 Yota仕事で些細なトラブルがあったんだ。shigoto de sasai na toraburu ga attanda.I had a minor trouble at work.
- 陽葵 Himari大丈夫？そんなに心配しないで。daijoubu? sonna ni shinpai shinaide.Are you okay? Don't worry so much.
- 陽太 Yota些細なことだけど、気になってしまって。sasai na koto dakedo, ki ni natte shimatte.It's an insignificant thing, but it's bothering me.
- 陽葵 Himari陽太君ならすぐに解決できるよ。Youta-kun nara sugu ni kaiketsu dekiru yo.You can solve it quickly, Youta.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “insignificant” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
