吝嗇家(りんしょくか)

A literary or formal word for a miser. Composed of 吝嗇(りんしょく) (miserliness, stinginess) + 家(か) (person who is characterized by). The kanji 吝(りん) and 嗇(しょく) both carry meanings related to stinginess. While understood by most Japanese adults, it has a literary or slightly old-fashioned feel.

Common collocations

• 大(おお)吝嗇家(りんしょくか): a great miser
• 吝嗇家(りんしょくか)で有名(ゆうめい): famous for being stingy

Similar words

• けち: stingy, cheap — the most common colloquial word for stinginess
• けちん坊(ぼう): cheapskate — informal, slightly playful
• 守銭奴(しゅせんど): miser (literally "slave to money") — literary and strongly negative
• 倹約家(けんやくか): frugal person — positive connotation, implying wise money management

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吝嗇家(りんしょくか) is literary and somewhat formal. In everyday speech, けち or けちな人(ひと) is far more common.