good-for-nothing; bum; ne'er-do-well
A derogatory term for a worthless or lazy person; often used in casual, critical speech.
That guy is a real good-for-nothing.
I'm at my wits' end with my good-for-nothing son.
Standard kana spelling; the word is usually written in kana.
Katakana spelling used for emphasis or stylistic effect.
Derived from ろく (碌, 'satisfactory') + で (copula) + なし (無し, 'without'), literally 'not satisfactory'. The kanji 碌 is ateji.