抠门 (kōumén): stingy; miserly

Meanings

1 stingy; miserly
2 tightfisted

Characters

抠

kōu

to dig out with fingers; stingy

门

mén

door; gate

Examples

他出了名地抠门，从来不请客吃饭。

Tā chū le míng de kōumén, cónglái bù qǐngkè chīfàn.

He is famously stingy and never treats anyone to a meal.

别那么抠门了，偶尔大方一点儿嘛！

Bié nàme kōumén le, ǒu'ěr dàfāng yīdiǎn er ma!

Don't be so stingy — be a little generous every now and then!

Tips

register

抠门 is colloquial and informal. It can be playfully teasing or genuinely critical. The more formal equivalent is 吝啬 (lìnsè), while 小气 (xiǎoqì) is similar in register to 抠门.

Stroke Order

抠 kōu

门 mén

Related Words

抠 kōu HSK 7 #15,769

to dig out; to pick at / stingy; miserly

开门 kāimén #1,947

to open a door / to open for business / to begin; to start

前门 qiánmén #5,126

front door / front gate

上门 shàngmén HSK 4 #4,426

to visit (someone's home) / to come to the door / door-to-door

敲门 qiāomén HSK 5 #4,324

to knock on a door

后门 hòumén #4,259

back door / backdoor (connections; under-the-table dealings)

没门 méimén #4,236

no way / not a chance / no deal

门票 ménpiào HSK 1 #5,232

entrance ticket / admission ticket

大门 dàmén HSK 2 #3,495

main entrance / front gate

阿门 āmén #3,369

amen