جَائِع
jāʔiʕ
The English word hungry is translated into Arabic as جَائِع (jāʔiʕ) or جَوْعَان.
Meaning: affected by hunger, desirous of food (adj)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| جَائِع | jāʔiʕ |
| جَوْعَان | jawʕān |
Both words are adjectives used to describe being affected by hunger or desiring food.
Which one should you use?
The form جَائِع is the standard or formal way to express hunger, while جَوْعَان is the more common form used in spoken dialects to describe the state of being hungry.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express that a female is hungry, use the feminine form جَوْعَانَة. For a masculine plural group, use جَوْعَانُونَ.
How do you pronounce it?
jāʔiʕ
Did you know?
- If you want to say someone is 'starving' in a more metaphorical sense, such as being 'hungry for power', Arabic often uses the word for 'thirst' instead of hunger.
- In some Middle Eastern cultures, if someone tells you they are جَوْعَان, it is a common social custom to immediately offer them food, even if you are not currently eating.
- The root of the word for hunger, J-W-` (ج-و-ع), is also the basis for the word 'gluttony', showing how the physical sensation and the moral concept are linguistically linked.
Examples in context
- أنا جَائِع جِدًّا اليَوْم.ana jā'i' jiddan al-yawm.I am very hungry today.
- هَلْ أَنْتَ جَائِع يَا يوسف؟hal anta jā'i' ya Yūsuf?Are you hungry, Yusuf?
- الْأَطْفَالُ جَائِعُونَ بَعْدَ اللَّعِب.al-atfāl jā'i'ūn ba'da al-la'ib.The children are hungry after playing.
Example conversation
Yusuf and Layla are deciding what to eat for lunch.
- يوسف Youssefأنا جَائِع، هَلْ نَأْكُلُ الآنَ؟ana jā'i' hal na'kulu al-ān?I am hungry, shall we eat now?
- ليلى Laylaنَعَم، أَنَا أَيْضًا جَائِعَة.na'am, ana ayḍan jā'i'a.Yes, I am hungry too.
- يوسف Youssefمَاذَا تُرِيدِينَ أَنْ تَأْكُلِي؟mādhā turīdīna an ta'kulī?What do you want to eat?
- ليلى Laylaأُرِيدُ بَعْضَ السَّنْدَوِيتشَات.urīdu ba'ḍa al-sandawītshāt.I want some sandwiches.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hungry” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
