tacaño
/taˈkaɲo/
In Spanish, a cheap person is called tacaño.
The term refers to a person who is unwilling to spend money or is stingy. It is the opposite of the word generoso (generous).
Is it said differently in some regions?
Regional variations include cutre, which is an informal term used in Spain to convey someone's cheapness and amarrete(a), which is used in Argentina to mean someone is cheap. In Latin America, the informal term Codo(a) is used for someone who is stingy.
How does it change in a sentence?
Use tacaña to describe a cheap woman, and use the plural form tacaños when referring to a group of stingy people or a mixed-gender group. To use the word as a noun meaning 'a stingy person', add the indefinite article un for a masculine subject or una for a feminine subject.
How do you pronounce it?
/taˈkaɲo/
Did you know?
- In Latin America, calling someone codo literally means calling them an 'elbow'. This implies the person is so stingy they cannot bend their arm to get their wallet out of their pocket.
- The word tacaño may share a distant root with Hebrew words for 'religious ordinance' or 'rule', suggesting a historical link to strict adherence to a standard.
- The Argentine term amarrete comes from the verb amarrar, meaning 'to tie'. It suggests that a stingy person has their money tied up so tightly that it cannot be spent.
Examples in context
- Juan es tacaño con sus amigosJuan is cheap with his friends
- Ella es avara y nunca deja propinaShe is cheap and never leaves a tip
- Es muy económico y siempre busca descuentosHe is very thrifty and always looks for discounts
- Pedro es una rata, nunca quiere pagar sus propias cuentasPedro is a cheap person, he never wants to pay his own bills
- Mi jefe es muy agarrado, nunca nos da aumentosMy boss is so cheap, he never gives us raises
- Mi vecino es muy codo, siempre regatea los preciosMy neighbor is very cheap, he always haggles
- No seas tan tacaño.Don't be so stingy.
- No seas tan tacaño con la propina.Don't be so stingy with the tip.
- Es un tacaño y nunca paga la cuenta.He is a stingy person and never pays the bill.
Example conversation
Lucía and Javier are deciding who will pay for dinner.
- LucíaJavier, ¿vas a pagar tú la cena?Javier, are you going to pay for dinner?
- JavierNo, creo que deberíamos dividir la cuenta.No, I think we should split the bill.
- Lucía¡Qué tacaño eres! Siempre haces lo mismo.How cheap you are! You always do the same thing.
- JavierNo soy tacaño, solo soy organizado.I'm not cheap, I'm just organized.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry tacaño, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries tacaño, CC BY-SA 4.0.
