Sekoi is the Japanese word for ‘stingy’, explained

What does “sekoi” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “sekoi” often to mean ‘stingy’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain it together with its major conjugations. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners use “sekoi” more properly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “sekoi”
  • Example #1: how to say “stingy” in Japanese
• Sekokunai: the nai form of “sekoi”
  • Example #2: how to say “not stingy” in Japanese
• Sekokatta: the ta form of “sekoi”
  • Example #3: how to say “was stingy” in Japanese
• Sekokute: the te form of “sekoi”
  • Example #4: how to say “stingy” in Japanese
• Sekokereba: the ba form of “sekoi”
  • Example #5: how to say “if stingy” in Japanese
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “sekoi”

Let me start with the definition and meanings of “sekoi”.

• sekoi – せこい : an i-adjective meaning ‘stingy’, ‘cheap’, or ‘small-minded’ in Japanese.

The definition and meanings are not that difficult, I think. The meanings seem to be based on similar concepts. Then, let me explain how to use this i-adjective through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to say “stingy” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to make its possessive case, “watashi no“, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
• kareshi – 彼氏 (かれし) : a noun meaning ‘boyfriend’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “watashi no kareshi” to make the subject in the sentence.

This is a typical usage of “sekoi”. In this example, it works as the complement in the sentence. Like other adjectives, however, it can also work as a modifier in front of a noun. For example, we can say “watashi no sekoi kareshi” to mean ‘my stingy boyfriend’ in Japanese. It’s worth knowing, I think.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “sekoi” and how to use it through the example sentence. In the rest part of this blog post, I will explain its major conjugations. The first one is “sekokunai”.

Sekokunai: the nai form of “sekoi”

Below are the definition and meanings of “sekokunai”.

• sekokunai – せこくない : the nai form of “sekoi”, which means ‘not stingy’, ‘not cheap’, or ‘not small-minded’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “sekokunai” consists of the following two parts:

• sekoku – せこく : one conjugation of “sekoi”. This can have a smooth connection with “nai”.
• nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this auxiliary verb is similar to that of “not”.

From these two parts, we can understand that “sekokunai” is literally the nai form of “sekoi” and means ‘not stingy’, ‘not cheap’, or ‘not small-minded’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

Example #2: how to say “not stingy” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• imouto – 妹 (いもうと) : a noun meaning ‘little sister’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• zenzen – 全然 (ぜんぜん) : an adverb working in a negative sentence to mean ‘at all’ or such in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “sekokunai”. When we want to mean ‘not stingy’ in Japanese, this nai form is a good option.

Sekokatta: the ta form of “sekoi”

Below are the definition and meanings of “sekokatta”.

• sekokatta – せこかった : the ta form of “sekoi”, which means ‘was stingy’, ‘was cheap’, ‘was small-minded’, or such in Japanese.

Grammatically, “sekokatta” consists of the following two parts:

• sekokat – せこかっ : one conjugation of “sekoi”. This can have a smooth connection with “ta”.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “sekokatta” is literally the ta form of “sekoi” and means ‘was stingy’, ‘was cheap’, ‘was small-minded’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

Example #3: how to say “was stingy” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
• mo – も : a binding particle making the subject word or the object word in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘too’, ‘also’, or ‘as well’. In the example, this works after “kare” to make the subject in the sentence with adding the meaning of ‘too’.
• mukashi – 昔 (むかし) : a noun meaning ‘past’ or such in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb almost anywhere in a sentence. In the example, this works as an adverb in the middle of the sentence to mean ‘before’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “sekokatta”. When we want to use the past tense form of “sekoi”, this ta form is the best option.

Sekokute: the te form of “sekoi”

Below are the definition and meanings of “sekokute”.

• sekokute – せこくて : the te form of “sekoi”, which means ‘stingy’, ‘cheap’, or ‘small-minded’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “sekokute” consists of the following two parts:

• sekoku – せこく : one conjugation of “sekoi”. This can have a smooth connection with “te”.
• te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “sekokute” is literally the te form of “sekoi”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “sekokute” is very useful when we want to use “sekoi” in front of another adjective, a verb, or an auxiliary verb. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #4: how to say “stingy” in Japanese

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• kimoi – きもい : an i-adjective meaning ‘disgusting’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “sekokute”. In the example, it has the smooth connection with “kimoi”. When we want to use “sekoi” in front of another adjective like this, its te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.

Sekokereba: the ba form of “sekoi”

Lastly, let me explain the definition and meanings of “sekokereba”.

• sekokereba – せこければ : the ba form of “sekoi”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘stingy’, ‘cheap’, or ‘small-minded’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “sekokereba” consists of the following two parts:

• sekokere – せこけれ : one conjugation of “sekoi”. This can have a smooth connection with “ba”.
• ba – ば : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its ba form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “sekokereba” is literally the ba form of “sekoi”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “sekokereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘stingy’, ‘cheap’, or ‘small-minded’. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #5: how to say “if stingy” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kimi – 君 (きみ) : a pronoun meaning ‘you’ in Japanese.
• ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “kimi” to make the subject in the conditional clause.
• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a noun meaning ‘girlfriend’ in Japanese.
• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to make the object in the second clause.
• tsukure – 作れ (つくれ) : one conjugation of the potential verb, “tsukureru”, which means ‘can make’ or such in Japanese.
• nai – ない : the same as used in “sekokunai”. In the example, this is used after “tsukure” to deny its meaning.
• yo – よ : a sentence-ending particle used to state the fact or idea in a soft way. As the definition suggests, this is used at the end of the second clause to state the speaker’s idea softly.

This is a typical usage of “sekokereba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “kimi ga sekokereba”, which means ‘if you are stingy’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘stingy’ in Japanese, this ba form is a good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “sekoi” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• sekoi – せこい : an i-adjective meaning ‘stingy’, ‘cheap’, or ‘small-minded’ in Japanese. This can work as both a modifier and a complement.
• sekokunai – せこくない : the nai form of “sekoi”, which means ‘not stingy’, ‘not cheap’, or ‘not small-minded’ in Japanese.
• sekokatta – せこかった : the ta form of “sekoi”, which means ‘was stingy’, ‘was cheap’, ‘was small-minded’, or such in Japanese.
• sekokute – せこくて : the te form of “sekoi”, which means ‘stingy’, ‘cheap’, or ‘small-minded’ in Japanese. When we want to use “sekoi” in front of another adjective, this te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
• sekokereba – せこければ : the ba form of “sekoi”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘stingy’, ‘cheap’, or ‘small-minded’ in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.