Translation guide
The quality of being unwilling to spend money or share resources. In Japanese, this is expressed through adjectives, nouns, and verbs that describe a person's character or behavior.
Describing someone who is habitually cheap or miserly.
The most common and versatile word for stingy. Can be used as a noun or na-adjective. Often used in casual conversation.
彼は本当にけちだ。
He is really stingy.
そんなけちなことは言わないで。
Don't say such stingy things.
A more formal or literary term for stinginess. Often used in written contexts or to emphasize a miserly character.
彼の吝嗇ぶりには呆れる。
I'm amazed at his stinginess.
A colloquial and somewhat derogatory term for a stingy person. Often used in Kansai dialect but understood nationwide.
あのしみったれがまたごちそうしてくれなかった。
That cheapskate didn't treat us again.
Describing actions that show unwillingness to spend money, such as splitting bills unfairly or avoiding paying.
Literally 'detailed about money,' this phrase describes someone who is meticulous or stingy about small amounts of money.
彼女はお金に細かくて、いつも割り勘にする。
She's stingy about money and always splits the bill exactly.
Verb meaning to be reluctant to spend money or to give something. Often used when someone should contribute but doesn't.
彼は寄付を出し惜しみしている。
He is being stingy with his donation.
A verb form of けち, emphasizing the act of being stingy in a petty way. Often used for small, repeated acts of stinginess.
そんなにけちけちしないで、たまにはおごってよ。
Don't be so stingy; treat me once in a while.
Referring to a person who is extremely stingy, often hoarding wealth.
A literary term for a miser, literally 'money-guarding slave.' Used to describe someone obsessed with saving money.
彼は守銭奴のようにお金をため込んでいる。
He hoards money like a miser.
The English word 'stinginess' can be directly translated as けち, but using it to describe someone may sound harsh. In polite conversation, consider softer expressions like お金に細かい (detail-oriented about money) or 節約家 (frugal person) if the intent is not negative.
けち has a negative connotation (unwilling to spend even when necessary), while 節約 (せつやく) means 'saving' or 'economizing' in a positive sense. Use 節約家 (せつやくか) for someone who is wisely frugal.
彼は節約家で、無駄遣いをしない。
He is frugal and doesn't waste money.