What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is made of onaka, meaning stomach and suita, meaning became empty. Literally it asks whether the stomach has become empty.
Which one should you use?
お腹(おなか)すいた？ is the same casual question written partly in kana. おなかペコペコ？ is a playful casual way to ask if someone is really hungry. お腹(おなか)はすきましたか？ is a polite way to ask, meaning did you get hungry.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
お腹空いた？ is casual. A blunter, highly informal version heard mostly from men is 腹減った？ (Hara hetta?), best kept for close friends.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the question polite, change it to お腹が空きましたか？ (onaka ga sukimashita ka?). The casual version drops the particle and uses the plain past form with rising intonation.
How do you pronounce it?
It is pronounced onaka suita?, with the voice rising at the end as in an English question.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not add a word for you to the question. Japanese speakers leave it out, and adding it can sound unnatural or even rude.
When do people say it?
A common casual answer is うん、空いた。 (un, suita), meaning yeah, I'm hungry. To politely say no, you can answer いいえ、大丈夫です。 (iiye, daijoubu desu), meaning no, I'm fine.
Did you know?
- The playful word ペコペコ (peko-peko) is an onomatopoeia that mimics the sound of a stomach collapsing or shrinking from hunger.
- In Japan, asking お腹空いた？ (onaka suita?) often functions as a social invitation to bond over a meal rather than a literal inquiry into one's physical state.
- The masculine version 腹減った？ (hara hetta?) uses the verb 減る (heru), which means 'to decrease' or 'to diminish' in amount.
Examples in context
- お疲(つか)れさまです。お昼(ひる)ごはんを召(め)し上(あ)がりましたか？お腹(おなか)が空(す)いていませんか？Otsukaresama desu. Ohirugohan o meshiagarimashita ka? Onaka ga suite imasen ka?
- お腹空いた？onaka suita?Are you hungry?
- そろそろ、お腹空いた？sorosoro, onaka suita?Are you hungry yet?
- ちょっと、お腹空いた？chotto, onaka suita?Are you a little hungry?
Example conversation
At home in the afternoon.
- 大翔 Hiroto結衣、お腹空いた？Yui, onaka suita?Yui, are you hungry?
- 結衣 Yuiうん、すごくお腹空いた。Un, sugoku onaka suita.Yeah, I'm very hungry.
- 大翔 Hirotoじゃあ、何か食べようか。Jaa, nani ka tabeyou ka.Then, shall we eat something?
- 結衣 Yuiそうだね、何を食べようか？Sou dane, nani o tabeyou ka?That's true, what shall we eat?
