けちんぼ

けちんぼ means a cheapskate or miser — a person who is stingy with money. It has a childish, teasing tone.

Forms

けち (stingy) + んぼ (a suffix creating person-nouns with teasing or mildly negative connotations, like 甘(あま)えんぼ "crybaby" and 怖(こわ)がりんぼ "scaredy-cat").

Variant

けちんぼう is an alternative longer form with the same meaning.

Similar words

• けち: stingy (adjective/noun, more direct)
• けちくさい: stingy, petty (colloquial, stronger criticism)
• 吝嗇(りんしょく): miserliness (very formal, literary)
• 欲張(よくば)り: greedy person (emphasis on wanting too much rather than not spending)

Register

Childish and playful. Often used by or to children, or among close friends in a joking way. Not a harsh insult.