せこい

i-adjective

stingy; petty; cheap

Conjugation

	Affirmative	Negative
Present	せこい	せこくない
Past	せこかった	せこくなかった
て form	せこくて	せこくなくて
Adverbial	せこく	—
Conditional ば	せこければ	せこくなければ
Conditional たら	せこかったら	せこくなかったら

1. stingy; miserly; tight-fisted

Reluctant to spend money, even in situations where spending would be normal or expected.

あの人(ひと)はせこい。

That person is stingy.

せこいことを言(い)うな。

Don't be so cheap.

彼(かれ)はせこいから割(わ)り勘(かん)でも1円(えん)単位(たんい)まで計算(けいさん)する。

He's so stingy that even when splitting the bill, he calculates down to the last yen.

2. petty; small-minded; cheap

Engaging in petty behavior to gain small advantages, often in ways that are seen as underhanded or beneath one's dignity.

せこい手段(しゅだん)で勝(か)っても嬉(うれ)しくない。

Winning through petty means doesn't make me happy.

そんなせこいこと言(い)わないでよ。

Don't be so petty about it.

ポイントを少(すこ)しでも多(おお)くもらおうと、せこい買(か)い方(かた)をしてしまう。

I end up shopping in petty ways to get even a few more reward points.

Forms

せこい (plain)
せこく (adverbial)
せこさ (noun) - stinginess, pettiness

Register

Informal/colloquial. Can be mildly insulting when used to describe someone directly.

Similar words

けち - stingy, miserly (stronger criticism)
貧乏(びんぼう)くさい - looking poor, cheap
こすい - cunning, crafty (regional/colloquial)
みみっちい - petty, stingy
気前(きまえ)がいい - generous
太(ふと)っ腹(ぱら) - generous, big-hearted

Usage

Originally from Kansai dialect but now widely used throughout Japan. Often used to criticize not just financial stinginess but also petty behavior in general.

Related Words

Synonym: けち (stingy (stronger))

Compare: こすい (cunning, crafty)

Compare: 気前(きまえ)がいい (generous)

Compare: 太(ふと)っ腹(ぱら) (generous, big-hearted)

general

Added 2026.1.20 19:31 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01

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