肚餓 / 肚饿
tou⁵ ngo⁶
The Cantonese phrase for hungry is 肚餓 / 肚饿 (tou⁵ ngo⁶), which is the default form. Wiktionary also lists 餓 / 饿 (ngo⁶) and 飢餓 / 饥饿 (gei¹ ngo⁶).
Meaning: affected by hunger, desirous of food (adj)
Ways to say it
| Cantonese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 肚餓 / 肚饿 | tou⁵ ngo⁶ |
| 餓 / 饿 | ngo⁶ |
| 飢餓 / 饥饿 | gei¹ ngo⁶ |
The word is used to describe being affected by hunger or desiring food. In Cantonese, you do not need a verb like 'to be' to connect a subject to the adjective. For example, you can simply say 我肚餓 to mean 'I am hungry'.
What does it mean word for word?
肚餓 is a compound of 肚, meaning 'belly/stomach' and 餓, meaning 'hungry'.
Which one should you use?
餓 can mean 'hungry' in a general sense, but 肚餓 is the more common, colloquial way to express the physical sensation of having an empty stomach. In contrast, 飢餓 is a much more formal and intense term often used to describe famine or extreme starvation rather than a common desire for a meal.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say one is 'very hungry', you add 好 before the adjective, such as in 好肚餓.
How do you pronounce it?
tou⁵ ngo⁶
Did you know?
- Cantonese speakers may use the phrase 餓到… followed by a comparison, such as 'hungry to the point of eating a cow', to emphasize extreme hunger.
- The word 肚 is also used in the term 肚圓, meaning 'round belly', which is a polite or playful way to say someone is full after a meal.
- In traditional Chinese medicine concepts often reflected in the language, 肚 is not just a stomach but can refer to the general abdominal area where 'qi' and emotions reside.
Examples in context
- 我好餓I'm very hungry
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hungry” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
