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"To get one's panties in a bunch", from Wikitionary:

To become overwrought or unnecessarily upset over a trivial matter. [Usually used towards women.]

What is the closest Japanese equivalent expression to this? (Hopefully, there's a bit more than just a simple 落ち着いて).

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    My ex-girlfriend would say to me okoranaidene, daijoubuyo, nanimonaikotonanoyo, ochituite, chottobakajanai? and things like that in the same way as 'don't get your panties in a bunch'. The intonation and context would make it clear more or less the same idea and feeling was being conveyed.
    – Robert
    Commented May 20, 2017 at 2:52

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落ち着いて is the most commonly used phrase used to tell someone to calm down. However, there are several ways to simply state that someone is annoyed or overly upset. Eg. いらいら, 怒る{おこる}.

If someone is getting annoyed over trivial matters you can use the word 些細｛ささい｝to describe the matter.

彼は些細｛ささい｝なことで怒っている

He is angry over trivial matters.

There may be an even closer translation, but this one is pretty close.

You might be able to extend that to requests.

些細｛ささい｝なことで怒らないで

Don't get angry over little things.

But this might not be very natural. Usually if someone were getting uptight over little things I would probably tell them (if they were close) something like:

些細｛ささい｝なものに過ぎないよ。落ち着いてよ。

It's nothing more than a trivial thing. Calm down.

or

何もないよ。落ち着いて

It's nothing. Calm yourself.

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  • "彼は些細ささいなことで怒らないで" ← Did you forget to delete "彼は" at the beginning? Also, "単なるものに過ぎないよ" sounds a bit strange there, I think. "単なるもの" is more like "a mere thing" than "a trivial thing". Compare "It's just a trivial thing." vs "It's just a mere thing."
    – goldbrick
    Commented May 19, 2017 at 21:01
  • Yes I forgot to delete that. Thanks for pointing it out. And you're right. 単なるもの is more like a thing of little importance and not necessarily trivial. It's a phrase I've heard in this sort of context, though.
    – tcallred
    Commented May 19, 2017 at 21:02
  • My point was that "trivial" in "a trivial thing(些細なもの)" specifies a special kind of thing (that is, a trivial kind of thing) while "a mere thing(単なるもの)" indicates that it's the very status of being a "thing" (i.g. as against being a human) that is being trivialized. So by "単なるものに過ぎないよ" you are saying it's just a thing - not a human or otherwise higher or more precious being, and that, I think, means something different from "些細なものに過ぎないよ".
    – goldbrick
    Commented May 19, 2017 at 21:36
  • Ok. Thanks for the explanation. That makes a lot of sense.
    – tcallred
    Commented May 19, 2017 at 21:37
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"to get one's panties in a bunch"
Hopefully, there's a bit more than just a simple 落ち着いて

イラっとする、イラつく、ムカつく/むかつく

Don't get your panties in a bunch!
怒らないで！/怒らないでね。/カッカしないで！/カッカしないでね。/イライラしないで！/イライラしないでね。

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