物乞い

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 物乞い(ものごい) means the act of begging others for money or food, or a person who does so.
• Basic usage: It is used for either the act of begging or the person engaged in it. Typical patterns are 物乞いをする and 物乞いになった.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Distinguish the act from the person
  • In 物乞いをする it denotes the act, while in contexts where it is a subject or complement it can denote a person who begs.
• Be aware of tone
  • Directly labeling a person this way can sound disparaging, so consider the context and whether the label is necessary.