배고프다
baegopeuda[pɛɡo̞pʰɯda̠]
To say hungry in Korean, use 배고프다 (baegopeuda). If unsure, use 배고프다. Wiktionary also lists 굶주리다 (gumjurida).
Meaning: affected by hunger, desirous of food (adj)
Ways to say it
| Korean | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 배고프다 | baegopeuda | [pɛɡo̞pʰɯda̠] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) [pe̞ɡo̞pʰɯda̠] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
| 굶주리다 | gumjurida | [ˈku(ː)md͡ʑuɾida̠] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
배고프다 is the standard way to say you are hungry. 배가 고프다 means the same and works in both formal and informal situations.
What does it mean word for word?
배고프다 is made of 배, meaning stomach and 고프다, meaning to be hungry.
Which one should you use?
굶주리다 is a much stronger word for real starvation or extreme hunger.
How does it change in a sentence?
In polite conversation 배고프다 becomes 배고파요, and with friends or people younger than you it becomes 배고파.
How do you pronounce it?
It is written in Latin letters as baegopeuda.
When do people say it?
To stress that you are very hungry, say 배가 너무 고파요 or the common 배고파 죽겠다, which means I'm so hungry I could die.
Did you know?
- While 배고프다 refers to the stomach, Koreans also use the phrase 입이 심심하다 to describe a kind of hunger where the 'mouth is bored' and wants a snack.
- The word 배 meaning 'stomach' or 'belly' is a homonym in Korean and also means 'pear' and 'ship'. Context is essential to know if someone is hungry or talking about fruit.
- The phrase 배고파 죽겠다 ('I'm so hungry I could die') is a common hyperbole in Korean. This pattern of adding '죽겠다' ('I could die') is used for many feelings, such as being tired, bored or hot.
Examples in context
- 그녀는 나에게 귓속말로 배고프다고 했다.She whispered to me that she was hungry.배고프다고 reports that she said she was hungry.Tatoeba #11106092 by intertime, translation #314121 by CK
- 배고프다I am hungry.배고프다 on its own means I am hungry.Tatoeba #13135966 by SN_H, translation #409602 by CC
- 난 배고파 지네, 넌 어때?I'm getting hungry, how about you?배고파 is the casual form, here in getting hungry.
- 선생님, 배고파요Teacher, I'm hungry.
- 오빠, 배고파Brother, I'm hungry.
- 배고파.I'm hungry.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Seoyeon and Hyunwoo are walking home from school.
- 서연 Seo-yeon현우 씨, 지금 너무 배고프다.Hyeon-u ssi, jigeum neomu baegopeuda.Hyunwoo, I am so hungry right now.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo저도 배고파요. 뭐 먹을까요?Jeodo baegopayo. mwo meogeulkkayo?I'm hungry too. What shall we eat?
- 서연 Seo-yeon근처에 맛있는 떡볶이 집이 있어요.geuncheoe masinneun tteokbokki jibi isseoyo.There is a delicious tteokbokki place nearby.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo좋아요! 빨리 가요.joayo! ppalli gayo.Sounds good! Let's go quickly.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hungry” translations and entries 배고프다, 굶주리다, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
