餓鬼

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 餓鬼 is read as がき and denotes a hungry ghost in religious contexts or a harsh, disparaging term for a child.
• Basic usage: The religious being appears in 餓鬼が苦しむ, while the insult appears in direct address such as この餓鬼.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Two distinct senses
  • Religious art uses the hungry-ghost sense; speech aimed at a person uses the insulting brat sense.
• Register warning
  • The personal use is rude and potentially offensive, so it is not a neutral substitute for 子ども.