noun
novice; greenhorn; worthless person
Derogatory term for an inexperienced, incompetent, or worthless person. Often used in casual, dismissive contexts.
あいつはまだへなちょこだから、大事な仕事は任せられない。
He's still a greenhorn, so I can't trust him with important work.
へなちょこ扱いされて腹が立った。
I got angry at being treated like a worthless nobody.
Rare kanji form; the word is usually written in kana.
The origin is uncertain. It may be related to へな (a prefix suggesting weakness or poor quality) and ちょこ (possibly from 猪口, a small sake cup, implying smallness or insignificance), but this is speculative.