飢餓 / 饥饿
jī'è
The English phrase "hungry" is translated into Chinese as 飢餓 / 饥饿 (jī'è). If unsure, use 飢餓 / 饥饿. Wiktionary also lists 餓 / 饿 (è) and 飢 / 饥 (jī).
Meaning: affected by hunger, desirous of food (adj)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 飢餓 / 饥饿 | jī'è |
| 餓 / 饿 | è |
| 飢 / 饥 | jī |
In Chinese, these terms describe the state of being affected by hunger or desiring food.
What does it mean word for word?
The formal term 飢餓 / 饥饿 is composed of two parts: 飢 / 饥, which means hunger or famine and 餓 / 饿, which means hungry.
Which one should you use?
The single character 餓 / 饿 is a colloquial form and is much more common in daily conversation to express the feeling of being hungry than the full term 飢餓 / 饥饿.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say "I am hungry" naturally, Chinese speakers often add the particle 了 after 饿 to indicate a change of state, such as "I have become hungry".
How do you pronounce it?
jī'è
What mistakes should you avoid?
When saying you are hungry, avoid saying just 我饿 (wǒ è). To make the sentence sound natural, you should use a degree adverb like 很 (hěn) before the adjective, even if you are not actually emphasizing that you are "very" hungry.
Did you know?
- In Chinese, the word for 'hungry' 餓 is often used as a metaphor for 'starving' someone of something, such as attention or love, rather than just food.
- In some related languages like Burmese, the word for 'hungry' is a cognate to the Chinese 饿, sharing a common ancestral root.
- In some Chinese dialects, the concept of being 'hungry' is closely linked to the word for 'thirsty', reflecting an ancient view of 'hunger' as a general lack of sustenance.
Examples in context
- 我饿了 (wǒ è le)I'm hungry
- 你饿吗？(nǐ è ma?)Are you hungry?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hungry” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 飢, 餓, CC BY-SA 4.0.
