けち
けち
noun / na-adjective
stingy, miser
1.
stingy, miserly, cheap
Being unwilling to spend money; a person who is tight with money.
けちな人
A stingy person.
彼はけちだ。
He is stingy.
そんなけちなことを言わないで、もう少し出してよ。
Don't be so stingy—chip in a little more.
2.
petty, trivial
Being small-minded or making a fuss over small things.
けちをつける。
To find fault with; to nitpick.
[Note: Fixed expression meaning to criticize]
人の仕事にけちをつけるのはやめてくれ。
Stop finding fault with other people's work.
せっかくの旅行にけちがついてしまった。
Our long-awaited trip was spoiled.
[Note: けちがつく = something goes wrong, bad luck attaches]
けち describes someone who is unwilling to spend money, or more broadly, someone who is petty or small-minded.
USAGE:
- As noun: 彼はけちだ (He's a cheapskate)
- As na-adjective: けちな人 (a stingy person)
COMMON EXPRESSIONS:
- けちをつける: to find fault, to nitpick
- けちがつく: bad luck strikes; things go wrong
- けちくさい: cheap-looking, petty
SIMILAR WORDS:
- けち: stingy (casual, negative connotation)
- 倹約: frugal, thrifty (positive — implies wise spending)
- 吝嗇: miserly (formal, literary)
- ケチケチする: to be penny-pinching (emphatic reduplicated form)
Related Words
Synonym:
倹約 (frugal (positive))