also: ムダめし · ムダメシ
living idly; eating without working; being a freeloader
Often used in the phrase 無駄飯を食う (to eat the bread of idleness), implying one is not contributing while still consuming resources. Can be self-deprecating or critical.
I can't just sit around eating without working.
He's just a freeloader at the company.
無駄 means 'waste' or 'futility' in general; 無駄飯 specifically refers to wasteful eating or living idly.
居候 is a person who lives with someone else without paying; 無駄飯 focuses on the act of eating without contributing.
Standard kanji spelling; 無駄 (waste) + 飯 (meal/rice).
Full katakana spelling; common in casual or emphatic contexts.
Mixed katakana-kanji spelling, sometimes used for emphasis or casual style.
Hiragana-kanji mixed spelling; less common but readable.
Ateji spelling using 徒 (futile/vain); rarely used.
Compound of 無駄 (waste, futility) and 飯 (meal, cooked rice). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the phrase 無駄飯を食う has been used idiomatically to mean 'to live idly' or 'to eat without working'.