I’m Hungry in Japanese – Ways to express that you want to eat

In this lesson, we teach you how to say “I’m hungry” in Japanese, along with its related phrases. It will be one of the key phrases for expressing how you feel in your day-to-day conversation. Let’s get started!

How to Say “I’m Hungry” in Japanese

We say “I’m hungry” when we feel hungry in English, but the Japanese expression doesn’t start with “I” as a subject. Instead, it starts with “My stomach” as a subject.

おなかがすいた (Onaka ga suita | お腹が空いた) and おなかがへった (Onaka ga hetta | お腹が減った) are the most common way of saying “I’m hungry,” and it literally means “My stomach is emptied” or “Things in my belly/tummy has decreased.” First, we will show you the most commonly used phrases here.

Basic Japanese Phrases to say “I’m Hungry”

Here are various ways to say that you are hungry in the Japanese language. We’ve also added different ways to say “I’m hungry,” depending on who you are speaking with below.

“I’m hungry” in Japanese (Formal)

If you need to speak formally, such as speaking with someone of higher rank or status, you can use these phrases to say “I am hungry” in Japanese.

“I’m hungry” in Japanese (Informal)

Japanese people tend to skip the subject and the case particle は (wa) or が (ga) while talking.

You will probably hear おなかすいた (Onaka suita | お腹空いた), おなかへった (Onaka hetta | お腹減った), and はらへった (Hara hetta | 腹減った) instead of the complete sentences with subject and particle more often, like おなかがすいた (Onaka ga suita), but the meanings remain the same.

The following expressions are the informal way to say “I’m hungry” in the Japanese language, and it’s suitable for conversation among Japanese friends, family members, and close people.

*The phrases can be slightly masculine.

“I’m very hungry” in Japanese (Informal)

You can use the expression おなかがとてもすいた (Onaka ga totemo suita | お腹がとても空いた) or おなかがすごくすいた (Onaka ga sugoku suita | お腹がすごく空いた) by adding adjectives to say “I’m hungry” and “I’m starving” in Japanese.

However, there are other ways to say them casually. Let’s take a look!

*The expressions can be slightly masculine.

How to say “I’m full” in Japanese

If you’ve already eaten, here are the different ways to say “I’m full” in Japanese.

“I’m full” in Japanese (Formal)

If you’re already feeling full, here are the phrases that you can use in a polite and formal way.

“I’m full” in Japanese (Informal)

Hopefully, after eating, you’ll no longer say onaka ga suita, but instead say おなかがいっぱい (Onaka ga ippai | お腹が一杯), meaning “I’m full” in Japanese. Here are more ways to say this phrase in a casual way:

*My stomach is about to burst

Other Japanese Phrases related to feeling hungry

Besides saying “I’m hungry,” here are other related expressions that you can say in Japanese. These can be feeling of thirst or when your stomach rumbles due to hunger.

“Thirsty” in Japanese

If you’re thirsty, you can use the expression のどがかわいた (Nodo ga kawaita | 喉が渇いた), and this literally means “My throat is dried up.”

Commonly Used Verb and Adverb

It’s also possible to say おなかがすいている (Onaka ga suiteiru | お腹が空いている) and おなかがすく (Onaka ga suku | お腹が空く) using the present form, but Japanese people often use the simple past tense to describe their condition.

The definition of the Japanese verb すく (Suku | 空く) is to start having an open space after certain things are gone.

There is a word closer to “hungry” in English, though the Japanese verb うえる (Ueru | 飢える) gives a stronger hunger with agony than a light hunger. Therefore, it’s expected to convey the severe scarcity of food and not in everyday-life conversation.

Basic Verbs for “I’m hungry” in Japanese

Here are the different Japanese verbs associated with feeling hungry.

If you’d like to learn more about verbs, our separate article on Japanese verbs can teach you more about them.

Verb Tense Variations for すく (suku | 空く)

Below are different ways to say “I’m hungry,” considering its various verb tenses.

Tips for using I’m Hungry in Everyday-life and Fun Facts

Now that you know how to say “I’m hungry” in the Japanese language, here are more ways for you to use the newly-learned vocabulary.

How to ask “Are you hungry?” and other questions

We’ve learned how to say “I’m hungry,” but what about asking questions related to it? Let’s take a look at the common phrases here. This way, you’ll know how to respond better by having knowledge of these questions. Some of them are useful for visitors to Japan, too.

Adverbs can help you a lot

You can convey the situation better by using adverbs. Many words are very functional but have more than one meaning each. Therefore, don’t forget to pay attention to the context rather than the words themselves. Here are some sample adverbs:

Phrases with Adverb

Below are some phrases that you can use with the adverbs listed above.

Dialects of I’m Hungry and I’m Full in Japanese

Apart from the different ways to express being hungry and full in Japanese, as listed above, there are also more ways of saying these terms. These depend on certain areas in Japan, as listed below.

Niigata, Fukushima area

• ” I’m full” – はらくっちゃい (Hara kucchai | 腹くっちゃい)

Mie, Wakayama area

• “I’m hungry” – かいだるい (Kandarui | 腕弛い)
• “I’m hungry” – かいだり (Kaidari | 腕弛り)
• ” I’m full” – おなかがおおきい (Onaka ga ookii | お腹が大きい)

Kagawa, Tokushima area

• ” I’m full” – おなかがおきる (Onaka ga okiru | お腹が起きる)

Okinawa Area

• “I’m hungry” – ヤーサイ (Yaasai )
• “I’m hungry” – ヤーサン (Yaasan)
• ” I’m full” – チュファーラ (Chufaara)

Idioms with はら (Hara | Stomach) in Japanese

Idioms are quite common in Japan. And so we have listed those which are related to feeling hungry below, along with their meaning.

Greetings and useful vocabulary at the table

Before you fill your stomach with Japanese food, here is some useful vocabulary related to eating.

Conclusion

Before we wrap this up, did you know that there’s an onomatopoeia specifically used when you’re feeling hungry? It’s こぺこぺ (peko peko) or the sound of a grumbling stomach! If you’d like to know more about these sounds, we have a fun article on Japanese onomatopoeia.

We hope this lesson has filled you with new knowledge of Japanese words and phrases!

がんばっ てください (Ganbatte kudasai)! ^^