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(ひと)
A stingy person.
彼(かれ)はけちだ。
He is stingy.
そんなけちなことを言(い)わないで、もう少(すこ)し出(だ)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(ひと)の仕事(しごと)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(りょこう)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:

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(けんやく): frugal, thrifty (positive — implies wise spending)
  • 吝嗇(りんしょく): miserly (formal, literary)
  • ケチケチする: to be penny-pinching (emphatic reduplicated form)

Related Words

Synonym: 倹約(けんやく) (frugal (positive))
general
Added 2026.1.11 17:45 · Revised 2026.5.22 23:11
02500/02792_kechi