ガキ

Short definition

Gaki (ガキ) means a misbehaving child. It is the word a parent uses when their kid tracks mud across the floor. It is what a comedian calls himself when telling a childhood story. It is the label on a poster for a children's variety show.

Closest English words: brat, rascal, little monster. None map exactly. Gaki is warmer than brat and less quaint than rascal.

The kanji form 餓鬼 also names a Buddhist spirit (the hungry ghost of the gaki-dō realm). That reading is rare in daily speech today. Ask a Japanese teenager what a gaki is and they will describe a classmate, not a ghost.

Forms

ガキ

Katakana. Most common written form in casual contexts: manga, TV chyrons, signs, text messages.

餓鬼

Kanji. Used in slang with the same casual meaning. Also the classical Buddhist term for hungry ghost.

ガキども

Collective plural. "Those brats." Typical of a weary teacher.

クソガキ

Intensified. "Little shit." Friendly among friends, harsh between strangers.

ガキの頃

"When I was a kid." Common self-deprecating idiom among Japanese adults.

Example sentences

「あのガキ、また壁に落書きしたぞ。」
Ano gaki, mata kabe ni rakugaki shita zo.
"That brat drew on the wall again."

「ガキの頃はこういうのが好きだった。」
Gaki no koro wa kou iu no ga suki datta.
"When I was a kid, I liked stuff like this."

More examples on the usage page.

Related

For illustration in the same register (Yoshitomo Nara-style portraits, streetwear editorials, candid mischief scenes), see gakistudio.com.