भूखा
bhūkhā/bʱuː.kʰɑː/
The Hindi word for hungry is भूखा (bhūkhā).
The adjective describes someone who is affected by hunger or is desirous of food.
Meaning: affected by hunger, desirous of food (adj)
What does it mean word for word?
The word भूखा is derived from the noun भूख (bhūkh), which means 'hunger'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the adjective changes based on the gender and number of the subject. Use भूखा for masculine subjects and भूखी for feminine subjects. To describe multiple males or to use the adjective in the oblique case (for example, when following a postposition), use भूखे. To say 'I am hungry' as a male, use the phrase भूखा हूँ and as a female, use भूखी हूँ.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /bʱuː.kʰɑː/. It has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- To describe someone who is 'starving' or 'famished' in a more extreme sense, Hindi speakers often use the phrase पेट में चूहे कूद रहे हैं which literally means 'rats are jumping in my stomach'.
- In a cultural context, offering food to someone who says मैं भूखा हूँ is seen as a sacred duty of hospitality, rooted in the ancient concept of 'Atithi Devo Bhava' where the guest is treated as God.
- The word भूखा is used in the phrase भूखा मरना which literally means 'to die hungry' but is often used idiomatically to mean 'to go without' or 'to be deprived' of something.
Examples in context
- आपके अलावा कोई भी भूखा नहीं था।Nobody was hungry except you.This is useful for practicing the adjective भूखा in a negative sentence.Tatoeba #10037784 by sabretou, translation #6897959 by CK
- उसने अभी अभी खाना खाया है, वह भूखा कतई नहीं को सकता।He just had food, he cannot be hungry.This demonstrates using भूखा to describe a state of being.Tatoeba #444374 by minshirui, translation #3064118 by harshnisar
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Priya and Aditya are deciding what to have for dinner.
- प्रिया Priyaआदित्य, क्या तुम भूखा हो?Aditya, kya tum bhookha ho?Aditya, are you hungry?
- आदित्य Adityaहाँ, मैं बहुत भूखा हूँ।Haan, main bahut bhookha hoon.Yes, I am very hungry.
- प्रिया Priyaचलो, कुछ अच्छा खाना खाते हैं।Chalo, kuchh achha khaana khaate hain.Let's go eat something good.
- आदित्य Adityaठीक है, चलो चलते हैं।Thik hai, chalo chalte hain.Okay, let's go.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hungry” translations and entries भूखा, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
