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爪に火をともす (つめにひをともす) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
expression, godan verb (-su)
be extremely stingy ; scrimp and save ; pinch pennies
idiomatic expression
Idiomatic expression literally meaning 'to light one's fingernails instead of a candle,' implying such extreme frugality that one would use their own nails as a light source. Used to describe a miserly or penny-pinching lifestyle.
I saved money by scrimping and saving.
Written forms 爪つめ に 火ひ をともす
Standard kanji spelling using ともす (to light).
爪つめ に 火ひ を 灯とも す
Variant using 灯す, also meaning 'to light'.
爪つめ に 火ひ を 点とも す
Rare variant using 点す; less common than ともす or 灯す.
つめに 火ひ をともす
Kana spelling; sometimes used for clarity or in informal writing.
Similar words けち けち is a more direct adjective/noun for 'stingy' or 'miser,' while 爪に火をともす is a vivid idiomatic expression describing the action or lifestyle of extreme frugality.
節せつ 約やく 節約 means 'saving' or 'economizing' in a neutral or positive sense, whereas 爪に火をともす carries a negative connotation of excessive penny-pinching.
Etymology The phrase is a metaphorical idiom. The literal image is of lighting one's fingernails on fire to use as a candle, suggesting such extreme thrift that one avoids buying even a candle. The exact historical origin is uncertain, but it has been used in Japanese to describe stinginess since at least the Edo period.
