Japanese symbol for “beggar”
乞食
こじき
Romaji: kojiki
beggar
In Japanese, beggar is 乞食, read こじき (kojiki).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n beggar
- n, vi, vs begging
Written forms: 乞食. Readings: こじき、こつじき.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “beggar”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 物乞い | ものごい monogoi | beggar; begging |
| 乞丐 | こつがい kotsugai | beggar; bum |
| 物貰い | ものもらい monomorai | beggar |
| 御薦 | おこも okomo | beggar |
| 袖乞い | そでごい sodegoi | beggar |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 乞う | こう kou | to beg; to ask; to request |
| 命乞い | いのちごい inochigoi | begging for one's life; pleading for one's life |
| 物乞い | ものごい monogoi | beggar; begging |
| 雨乞い | あまごい amagoi | praying for rain |
| 暇乞い | いとまごい itomagoi | leave-taking; (saying) goodbye |
| 食事 | しょくじ shokuji | meal (e.g. lunch, dinner) |
| 食品 | しょくひん shokuhin | food; food products; foodstuffs |
| 食べ物 | たべもの tabemono | food |
See also: Chinese symbol for “beggar”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.