けちな（けちな、kechina）
- stingy

The Japanese word けちな means "stingy," "miserly," or "cheap." It describes someone who is unwilling to spend money, even when they have it. It can also describe something that is low-quality or lacking in generosity. The nuance can sometimes extend to being small-minded or petty.

⚫︎彼はけちな人だ。 Translation: He is a stingy person. ⚫︎その店はけちな］サービスで評判が悪い。 Translation: That store is notorious for its cheap service.

You can use けちな to describe a person's character, referring to their financial behavior. It can also describe a thing or service that is considered inexpensive or lacking in quality. It is important to be mindful of the context, as the word carries a negative connotation.

けちな is typically written in hiragana. The kanji form is 吝嗇 (reishoku), which is less common in everyday conversation. There are no variations in okurigana.

⚫︎ 倹約家 (ken'yakuka) - thrifty person ⚫︎ しぶい (shibui) - stingy (can also mean refined or understated) ⚫︎ 吝嗇 (reishoku) - miserly (formal) ⚫︎ ケチ (kechi) - stingy (more informal)

⚫︎ 太っ腹 (futtōbara) - generous, big-hearted ⚫︎ 豪快な (gōkaina) - bold, generous ⚫︎ 気前がいい (kimae ga ii) - generous

あの人はいつもけちな］ので、誰も彼と食事に行きたがらない。 ・Translation: Because that person is always stingy, nobody wants to go out to eat with him. ・Explanation: This sentence illustrates how けちな describes a person’s unwillingness to spend money, leading to a social consequence.

このホテルはサービスがけちな］ので、あまりおすすめできません。 ・Translation: This hotel's service is cheap, so I don't really recommend it. ・Explanation: This example shows けちな being used to describe the poor quality of service in a hotel.

The exact etymology of けちな is not definitively known, but it is believed to be derived from the word 気 (ki), meaning spirit or mind, and might be related to a mindset of withholding or being small-minded.