Translation guide
A person who is unwilling to spend money, often to an annoying or excessive degree. Japanese has several colorful terms for this, ranging from mild to harsh.
Describing someone who is generally stingy or reluctant to spend money.
The most common and versatile word for a stingy person. Can be used as a noun or adjective.
He's a real cheapskate.
そんなケチなこと言わないで。
Don't be such a cheapskate.
A formal, literary term for a miser or stingy person. Rarely used in everyday conversation.
彼は有名な吝嗇家だ。
He is a notorious miser.
Emphasizing small-minded stinginess, like splitting bills to the last yen or never treating others.
Slangy adjective meaning cheap, petty, or small-minded. Often used for someone who is stingy in trivial matters.
割り勘で1円単位まで計算するなんてセコいよ。
It's so petty to split the bill down to the last yen.
Means shabby, stingy, or miserly. Conveys a sense of being cheap and ungenerous in a way that feels small and pathetic.
Someone who hoards money and refuses to spend it, even on necessities.
Literally 'money-guarding slave'. A strong, somewhat old-fashioned term for a miser.
あの老人は守銭奴のようにお金をため込んでいる。
That old man hoards money like a miser.
Literally 'money ghost', meaning someone obsessed with money to an unhealthy degree. Stronger than ケチ.
彼は金の亡者で、家族にもお金を使わない。
He's a money-obsessed miser who won't even spend on his family.
Specifically someone who never pays for others, always expects others to pay, or avoids contributing.
Literally 'does not treat'. Often used to describe someone who never picks up the tab.
彼は一度もおごらないケチだ。
He's a cheapskate who never treats anyone.
Slang for someone obsessed with splitting bills evenly, often to an annoying degree. '魔' means devil.
彼女は割り勘魔で、デートでも必ず割り勘にする。
She's a bill-splitting fanatic; even on dates she insists on going Dutch.
ケチ is the general term for stingy. セコい emphasizes pettiness and is slangy. みみっちい suggests shabbiness and a lack of generosity that feels pathetic. Use ケチ for most situations; セコい for trivial cheapness; みみっちい for miserly behavior that seems sad.
English 'cheapskate' does not have a single perfect equivalent. Avoid directly translating the word; instead, describe the behavior using the options above. Using ケチ is the safest and most common choice.
そんなケチなこと言わないで、いいのを買いなよ。
Don't be such a cheapskate! Just buy the good one.
彼はチップを絶対に払わないケチだ。
He's a cheapskate who never tips.
彼は給料がいいのに、いつもみみっちい店で食事する。
Even though he has a good salary, he always eats at cheap, shabby places.