いちいち

• Reading: いちいち
• Romaji: ichiichi
• Pronunciation: /i.tɕi.i.tɕi/

Meaning

One by one; every single thing; each and every. Often carries a nuance of annoyance at excessive detail.

A noun and adverb meaning individually or one at a time. In modern usage it frequently carries an annoyed or exasperated tone, implying something is unnecessarily thorough or nitpicky. いちいち気にする (worrying about every little thing) and いちいちうるさい (nagging about every detail) are common patterns. Neutral usage exists but the negative nuance is more frequent.

Examples

1. そんなことをいちいち聞かないでください。 Please don't ask about every little thing like that.
2. 彼はいちいち細かいことを気にする。 He frets over every tiny detail.
3. 全部の名前をいちいち覚えるのは大変だ。 Memorizing every single name is a real pain.

Usage Guide

Context: annoyance, detail, thoroughness

Tone: negative

Origin & History

Written 一々 or 一一 in kanji, literally meaning one-one. The repetition of 一 (one) conveys the idea of handling things individually, each one separately.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal