チンピラ

Etymology
. Appears in texts from the early 1900s.

Early uses referred to young pickpockets. May have originally been a compound of.

Noun

 * 1) a child or other youth putting on airs and acting arrogantly
 * 2) a chav, a bogan
 * 3) a hoodlum, a minor criminal, a hooligan, a punk
 * 4) an apprentice yakuza, a low-ranking gangster, a young member of an organized crime group
 * 1) an apprentice yakuza, a low-ranking gangster, a young member of an organized crime group
 * 1) an apprentice yakuza, a low-ranking gangster, a young member of an organized crime group
 * 1) an apprentice yakuza, a low-ranking gangster, a young member of an organized crime group

Usage notes
The katakana spelling may be more common.