Translation guide
Describes someone unwilling to spend money or share resources, often in a negative way. Japanese has many colorful terms ranging from mild to harsh.
A person who is generally unwilling to spend money or share, often in a petty way.
The most common and versatile word for a stingy person. Can be used as a noun or na-adjective. Mildly negative.
Someone who is excessively careful with small amounts of money, often annoying others.
Uses the adjective せこい (petty, stingy) to describe a person. Very common in casual speech.
あのせこい人、いつも割り勘で細かいの。
That cheapskate always insists on splitting the bill down to the last yen.
Someone who is unwilling to share things or do favors, not necessarily about money.
がめつい means greedy or grasping, often for material things. Used for someone who always wants more and shares little.
がめつい人は友達を失うよ。
Greedy people lose friends.
けち is the standard word for stingy and can be used in most situations. せこい is more colloquial and implies pettiness or cheapness in a more annoying way. せこい can also mean 'lame' or 'uncool' in some contexts.
Words like 吝嗇 (りんしょく) are too formal and rarely used in daily conversation. Stick to けち or せこい for natural speech.
彼は本当にけちだ。
He's really stingy.
あのけちがまたお金を出し渋った。
That stingy person hesitated to pay again.
A slightly more childish or playful term for a stingy person. Often used in casual speech.
けちん坊！お菓子を分けてよ。
Stingy! Share your snacks.
Literally 'money-guarding slave'. A harsh, literary term for a miser. Strongly negative.
彼は守銭奴のように金をため込んでいる。
He hoards money like a miser.
A noun meaning a stingy, miserly person. Often used in Kansai dialect but understood nationwide. Slightly rough.
あのしみったれがおごるわけない。
There's no way that cheapskate would treat us.
A formal, literary term for a miser. Rarely used in conversation.
彼は有名な吝嗇家として知られている。
He is known as a famous miser.
Primarily means greedy, but can imply stinginess when someone takes more than their share and gives nothing back.
あの欲張り、全部自分で使っちゃった。
That greedy person used it all for themselves.