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みみっちい Japanese meaning | Kotomora

みみっちい

み

み

っ

ち

い

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

i-adjective

stingy; miserly; tightfisted; small-minded

Colloquial adjective describing a person or behavior that is stingy with money or petty in character. Often carries a negative, dismissive tone.

彼かれはみみっちいから、絶ぜっ対たいにおごってくれない。
He's so stingy he'll never treat you.
そんなみみっちい

こと

で

怒おこ

る

な

よ

。

Don't get mad over such a petty thing.

Written forms

みみっちいUsage94%
Kana-only adjective; no kanji form is used.
ミミッチイUsage6%

Similar words

けち
けち is a more common and versatile word for stingy or miserly, used as both a noun and adjective. みみっちい is more colloquial and emphasizes pettiness or small-mindedness.
せこい
せこい is a casual adjective meaning stingy or cheap, often used in Kansai dialect but widely understood. みみっちい is similar but can also imply narrow-mindedness.

Etymology

The origin is uncertain. It may be related to the mimetic word みみっち (onomatopoeia for a small, cramped, or stingy feeling) with the adjectival ending い, but this is not confirmed.