noun
miser; skinflint; stingy person
A somewhat formal or literary term for a person who is extremely reluctant to spend money. In everyday speech, けち or 守銭奴 is more common.
彼は吝嗇家で、友達にコーヒー一杯おごったことがない。
He is such a miser that he has never treated a friend to even a cup of coffee.
守銭奴 is a stronger, more dramatic term for a money-grubber or miser, often with a negative moral judgment. 吝嗇家 is more neutral and descriptive.
Compound of 吝嗇 (りんしょく, 'stinginess') and 家 (か, suffix meaning 'person with a certain trait'). The exact historical derivation of 吝嗇 is uncertain, but it is a Sino-Japanese word (kango) using kanji associated with miserliness.