すねをかじる

Meanings

1

expression, godan verb (-ru)

live off someone else's money; depend on someone financially

idiomatic expressionusually written using kana alone

Idiomatic expression literally meaning 'to gnaw on someone's shin'. Used almost exclusively for financial dependence, typically on one's parents. Often appears as 親のすねをかじる.

Written forms

脛すねを齧かじる
Kanji form using 脛 (shin) and 齧る (gnaw). Rarely used in modern writing; mainly encountered in literary or explanatory contexts.
臑すねを嚙かじる
rarely-used kanji form
Variant kanji form with 臑 (shin) and 嚙る (gnaw). Marked as rarely used.
スネをかじる
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling of すね, sometimes used for emphasis or in casual writing.

Kanji

脛leg, shin
齧gnaw, nibble, munch
臑leg, shin
嚙bite, gnaw

Similar words

寄き生せいする
寄生する is a more formal and biological term for parasitism, while すねをかじる is a colloquial idiom specifically for financial dependence on family.
親おやがかり
親がかり is a noun meaning 'dependent on one's parents', often used in contexts like 親がかりの生活. すねをかじる is a more vivid, verb-based expression.

Etymology

The idiom derives from the image of a child or dependent biting at a parent's shin to get attention or sustenance. The exact historical origin is uncertain, but it has been used in Japanese for centuries to describe financial dependence.