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Both are い-adjectives meaning "small".

From what I gather (though I'm not sure), _chiisai_ is used mainly for
specifying objects as 'small'; while _komakai_ can have uses like: "
**minute** differences", " **trivial** matters", " **finer** details".
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word-choice word-usage
Difference between chiisai (小さい) and komakai (細かい)？
## 小さい

* * *

小さい = **small** (not to be big/wide etc.),

> 小さい部屋 → small room

It can also carry the nuance of:

  * short ( **small** height)

> (彼は)小さいです。 → He is small (size/age)

  * young ( **small** age)

> (彼は)まだ小さいです。→ He is still young. (まだ gives emphasis on the " **small** _age_
> ")

  * trivial ( **small** matter)

> 小さい話 → A **trivial** or unimportant story

  * Quiet Voice ( **small** voice)

> 小さい声 → quiet voice; (quietly)

## 細かい

* * *

細かい = **tiny** , but also means: **detailed** ;

When 細かい refers to an object, it is something smaller than 小さい,

  * 細かい説明 → Detailed explanation
  * 細かいところ → The details ( **fine** parts)
  * 細かい雨 → **Fine** rain
  * 細かく切る → To cut **finely**
  * 細かい話 → A detailed story (see how this differs from the same example above?)

Also 細かい can have a _negative nuance_ : 金に細かい ( **stingy** with money) -> very
common expression

* * *
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Adding to 悪戯猫さん's explanation: I've often heard the phrase 「細かいことまで聞いてすみません」
when you ask questions down to the smallest detail and you are worried you
would annoy the listener with it.
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There are many differences, but a rule of thumb is that 小さい is about size
while 細かい is about granularity. As such, 細かい tends to imply that you are
talking about many/repeated small things (of the same kind).

> 小さい出費 (one small spending)

> 細かい出費 (small/tiny spendings here and there)
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Some additional detail, from the perspective of word derivations and related
terms.

## 小さい

* * *

Modern ちいさい comes from older ちひさし. This word appears in the 日本書紀【にほんしょき】 of
720, one of the oldest texts to include written Japanese. At that time, ちぴさし
was likely pronounced as something like //tipisasi//.

Via that ancient //tipi// root, ちいさい is likely related to various other words:

  * ちび — small, round, and plump
  * ちびる – to wear down and become small and round
  * つぶ — a grain
  * つぶら — a circle, a small round thing
  * つぼ – a round container

## 細かい

* * *

Modern こまかい looks like it ultimately traces back to こま. こま itself is either
from 子 or 小 ( _ko_ , "small; baby, child") + 馬 ( _uma_ , appearing in some
compounds as _ma_ , "horse"), or from 小 ( _ko_ , "small") + 間 ( _ma_ , "space
between things").

Via that //koma// root, こまかい is likely related to various other words:

  * こま – the root is also a noun, meaning "a [little] piece", such as a "piece used in a board game", or meaning "a frame, as in a comic or a film". It is also an an adjective, meaning "little".
  * こまごま – an adverb referring to "in a detailed fashion", perhaps from the idea of "piece by piece".
  * こまごましい – an adjective referring to "extremely small; extremely detailed".
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