đói
[ʔɗɔj˧˦]
The English phrase "hungry" is translated into Vietnamese as đói.
đói is used to describe being affected by hunger or having a desire for food. If you want to emphasize that you are very hungry, you can add the particle quá after the word to say đói quá (so hungry/very hungry).
Meaning: affected by hunger, desirous of food (adj)
Which one should you use?
Do not confuse đói with khát, which is the specific word used to express being thirsty.
How does it change in a sentence?
While đói can stand alone, you can also use the common phrase đói bụng. This is created by adding the noun bụng (stomach) to the word, literally meaning "hungry stomach," to specify physical hunger.
Did you know?
- While đói refers to physical hunger, Vietnamese speakers use the same word to describe a 'hunger' for power or wealth, such as in the phrase đói quyền lực.
- In Vietnamese culture, saying đói can be a social signal to a host that it is time to eat, rather than a literal complaint about starvation.
- The word đói is a cognate of the word tỏl in the Muong language, a closely related language spoken by the Muong people in Vietnam.
Examples in context
- Không ai đói cả.Nobody is hungry.This sentence is useful for stating that nobody is hungry using đói.Tatoeba #13598603 by leucammieuvu, translation #5828775 by OsoHombre
- Bạn có đói không?Are you hungry?This sentence is a question used to ask if someone is hungry using đói.Tatoeba #10280472 by Alex_do, translation #434242 by lukaszpp
- Tôi vẫn chưa đói.I'm still not hungry yet.This sentence is useful for saying that you are not yet hungry using đói.Tatoeba #13249783 by leucammieuvu, translation #5916321 by CK
- Tôi rất đói.I am very hungry.
- Tôi thèm ăn cơm.I am craving rice.
- Mình đang đói, đi gọi món đi!I am hungry, let's order some food!
- Đói bụng quá, mình đi ăn thôi!I'm so hungry, let's go eat!
- 40 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hùng and Chi are deciding what to eat for lunch.
- HùngChi có đói không?Chi, are you hungry?
- ChiEm rất đói rồi.I am very hungry already.
- HùngChúng ta đi ăn phở nhé?Shall we go eat pho?
- ChiVâng, em đồng ý.Yes, I agree.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hungry” translations and entries đói, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries đói, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
