Hungry in Different Languages
Discover 'Hungry' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Understanding the word 'hungry' goes beyond its simple definition of feeling the need to eat. It's a universal experience, connecting people across the globe, yet its expression varies fascinatingly from culture to culture. Being able to convey hunger can be a doorway to shared experiences and empathy, making 'hungry in different languages' a sought-after phrase for travelers, linguists, and curious minds alike. Historically, the concept of hunger has shaped societies, influencing migration, agriculture, and culinary traditions, embedding itself deeply in folklore and literature. For example, in Spanish, 'hambriento' carries the same urgency as its English counterpart, while in Japanese, '空腹' (kūfuku) elegantly captures the notion. Discovering how to express hunger can thus offer a deeper understanding of cultural values and human commonalities. Keep reading for an intriguing list of translations for the word 'hungry'.
Hungry
Hungry in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | honger | ||
| The word "honger" is thought to derive from the Old Dutch word "honger" and the Middle Dutch word "hongerich". The word "honger" also means "desire" or "craving" in Afrikaans. | |||
| Amharic | የተራበ | ||
| "የተራበ" is derived from the verb "መሮብ" which means "to be empty" or "to be vacant". So, "የተራበ" can also mean "vacant". | |||
| Hausa | yunwa | ||
| Hausa word yunwa is derived from Arabic word "jawa" meaning "to hunger" and "to crave". | |||
| Igbo | agụụ na-agụ | ||
| "Agụụ na-agụ," typically translated as "hungry" in Igbo, literally means "food is calling." | |||
| Malagasy | noana | ||
| The Malagasy word "noana" derives from the Proto-Malayo-Polynesian root "*kan" meaning "to eat". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | wanjala | ||
| The word "wanjala" can also mean "greedy" or "stingy" in Nyanja. | |||
| Shona | vane nzara | ||
| Nzara, as in ‘vane nzaraʼ (hungry), connotes the quality of ‘to long for or to feel the need forʼ something.”} | |||
| Somali | gaajaysan | ||
| "Gaajaysan" can also refer to a starving person in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | lapile | ||
| The word "lapile" can also refer to a "desire" or "need". | |||
| Swahili | njaa | ||
| In some Bantu languages, 'njaa' also means 'fasting' or 'abstinence'. | |||
| Xhosa | ndilambile | ||
| The word 'ndilambile' is used to describe 'the state of being without food' in Xhosa, and it also refers to a 'feeling of emptiness and longing'. | |||
| Yoruba | ebi npa | ||
| Ebi npa is also the Yoruba word for "wanting". | |||
| Zulu | ulambile | ||
| Ulambile may also be used to describe someone who is eager or enthusiastic about something. | |||
| Bambara | kɔngɔ | ||
| Ewe | dɔ wum | ||
| Kinyarwanda | bashonje | ||
| Lingala | nzala | ||
| Luganda | enjala okuluma | ||
| Sepedi | swerwe ke tlala | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ɛkɔm | ||
Hungry in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | جوعان | ||
| The word "جوعان" can also mean "yearning" or "desiring". | |||
| Hebrew | רעב | ||
| "רעב" is a cognate of the Arabic word "رغب" ("raghba") meaning "desire" and "want". | |||
| Pashto | وږی | ||
| The Pashto word "وږی" can also refer to a person who is thin or malnourished. | |||
| Arabic | جوعان | ||
| The word "جوعان" can also mean "yearning" or "desiring". | |||
Hungry in Western European Languages
| Albanian | i uritur | ||
| I uritur could also mean "thirsty" in Gheg dialect | |||
| Basque | gose | ||
| The word 'gose' comes possibly from the Proto-Basque root '*gosa-*, which also means hunger | |||
| Catalan | famolenc | ||
| The word "famolenc" is derived from the Latin word "famēs", meaning "starvation". Interestingly, in 15th century Catalan it sometimes meant "gluttonous" too, quite the opposite of its current meaning. | |||
| Croatian | gladan | ||
| The word 'gladan' is linked to hunger and famine, while in certain Slavic languages it can mean 'thirsty'. | |||
| Danish | sulten | ||
| "Sulten" is cognate with the English word "starve", and also bears the alternate meanings of "famine", "drought", and "crop failure". | |||
| Dutch | hongerig | ||
| The word "hongerig" is derived from the Old High German word "hungrig," which originally meant "to hunger after something." | |||
| English | hungry | ||
| The word "hungry" comes from the Old English word "hungrig," which means "feeling a need for food or drink." | |||
| French | affamé | ||
| In Old French, "affamé" meant "starved" or "famished", but its meaning has since evolved to simply mean "hungry". | |||
| Frisian | hongerich | ||
| Hongerich is also used as a synonym for poor, which is related to the Old Frisian word 'honger', meaning 'famine'. | |||
| Galician | con fame | ||
| Con fame is an informal term that refers to an intense hunger, as if you were a famished wolf. | |||
| German | hungrig | ||
| "Hungrig" is derived from the Old High German word "hungar, | |||
| Icelandic | svangur | ||
| Svangur, meaning "hungry" in Icelandic, comes from the Old Norse "svangr" meaning "to starve".} | |||
| Irish | ocras | ||
| "Ocras" has cognates meaning "young" and "eager" in other Celtic languages. | |||
| Italian | affamato | ||
| "Affamato" comes from the Latin word "affamis," which means "starved." | |||
| Luxembourgish | hongereg | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "hongereg" is derived from the Old High German word "hungar", meaning "pain". It can also refer to a person who is poor or needy. | |||
| Maltese | bil-ġuħ | ||
| "Bil-ġuħ" is an expression used to describe a state of extreme hunger and can be used to refer to a person or an animal. | |||
| Norwegian | sulten | ||
| "Sulten" is derived from the Old Norse "sultr", meaning "great hunger" or "famine". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | com fome | ||
| "Com fome" derives from the Latin "cum fame", meaning "with hunger" | |||
| Scots Gaelic | acrach | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word "acrach" also means "niggardly" or "stingy". | |||
| Spanish | hambriento | ||
| "Hambriento" in Spanish is derived from the Latin word "fames" meaning "hunger" and is also related to the Old English word "hangry" meaning "bad-tempered as a result of hunger". | |||
| Swedish | hungrig | ||
| The Old Norse word for “hungry” was “hungraðr”, which is the source of the modern Swedish word “hungrig”. Other related words in Scandinavian languages include the Danish words “hungren” and “sulten”, the Norwegian word “sulten”, and the Icelandic word “hungraður”. | |||
| Welsh | eisiau bwyd | ||
| The Welsh word "eisiau bwyd" can also mean "wanting food" or "need for food." | |||
Hungry in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | галодны | ||
| The word "галодны" can also refer to a type of bread eaten during fasts in Orthodox Christianity | |||
| Bosnian | gladan | ||
| The word "Gladan" is also used to describe a state of desperation or need. | |||
| Bulgarian | гладен | ||
| Bulgarian word гладен also means "smooth" or "ironed" | |||
| Czech | hladový | ||
| The word hladomorna, used in the 16th century, meant a place where the food was scarce. | |||
| Estonian | näljane | ||
| "Näljane" also means "starving" in Estonian. | |||
| Finnish | nälkäinen | ||
| "Nälkäinen" has an alternate meaning in Finnish, meaning "wanting" or "desiring". | |||
| Hungarian | éhes | ||
| The Hungarian word "éhes" is derived from the Proto-Turkic word "*ač" with the same meaning of "hungry". | |||
| Latvian | izsalcis | ||
| The word "izsalcis" likely derives from the Latvian reflexive verb "izsaltīties," meaning "to starve oneself". Alternatively, it may derive from the Latin word "edere," meaning "to eat." | |||
| Lithuanian | alkanas | ||
| In Lithuanian, "alkanas" is a contraction of "alkus" (hunger) and "anas" (son of), suggesting that hunger is like a ravenous child. | |||
| Macedonian | гладни | ||
| In Macedonia, the verb гладува also refers to a religious fasting period. | |||
| Polish | głodny | ||
| The word "głodny" in Polish shares its root with the Old Slavic word "glodъ" meaning "famine". | |||
| Romanian | flămând | ||
| The Romanian word "flămând" shares the same root "flamm" with the Latin word "flamma" (flame), and can also mean "starved" or "passionate". | |||
| Russian | голоден | ||
| There is a rare alternate sense to «голоден» meaning 'barren,' used as «голая земля» or «голода́ть по» in the sense of experiencing a shortage of something. | |||
| Serbian | гладан | ||
| The Serbian word "gladan" is thought by some to be a Slavic cognate of the Old Norse "gleðr" (glad, bright, joyful), hence the word's alternate meaning "thirsty, parched" for someone in an extremely distressed state of hunger. | |||
| Slovak | hladný | ||
| The word | |||
| Slovenian | lačen | ||
| In the Slavic languages, lačen also means 'lazy'. Probably connected with the word lena ('laziness'). | |||
| Ukrainian | голодний | ||
| The word "голодний" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *goldъ, meaning "hunger" or "starvation". | |||
Hungry in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ক্ষুধার্ত | ||
| The word "ক্ষুধার্ত" (hungry) is derived from the Sanskrit word "क्षुधा" (hunger), which can also mean "desire" or "craving" | |||
| Gujarati | ભૂખ્યા | ||
| The word "ભૂખ્યા" derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*gʰews-", meaning "to crave" or "to desire". | |||
| Hindi | भूखे पेट | ||
| Literally translated as "empty stomach" but refers to the figurative state of hunger (lack of food) | |||
| Kannada | ಹಸಿದ | ||
| The Kannada word "ಹಸಿದ" can also refer to "lean," "emaciated," or "gaunt." | |||
| Malayalam | വിശക്കുന്നു | ||
| The Malayalam word | |||
| Marathi | भुकेलेला | ||
| "भुकेलेले" is derived from the Sanskrit word "भूख" (hunger). It can also refer to people who are poor or deprived. | |||
| Nepali | भोक | ||
| The word 'भोक' is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *gʷʰégʰ-, meaning 'to desire', and is cognate with the English words 'greedy' and 'crave'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਭੁੱਖਾ | ||
| The word ਭੁੱਖਾ in Punjabi can also mean 'a person who fasts' or 'a beggar'. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | බඩගිනි | ||
| The word is derived from the word | |||
| Tamil | பசி | ||
| In some contexts, the Tamil word 'பசி' can also refer to poverty or a lack of resources. | |||
| Telugu | ఆకలితో | ||
| The word "ఆకలితో" in Telugu comes from the root word "ఆకలి", which means "hunger", and the suffix "-తో", which indicates a state or condition. | |||
| Urdu | بھوکا | ||
| The Urdu word "بھوکا" is also used figuratively to describe a strong desire for something other than food, such as knowledge or wealth. | |||
Hungry in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 饥饿 | ||
| The word "饥饿" can also mean "starvation" or "famine". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 飢餓 | ||
| "飢" originally meant to lean on (to beg). Its modern meaning of "hungry" came later. | |||
| Japanese | 空腹 | ||
| 空腹 (kuufuku) also refers to empty land, nothingness, and vacancy. | |||
| Korean | 배고픈 | ||
| "배고픈" can also mean "stingy" or "greedy". | |||
| Mongolian | өлссөн | ||
| Өлссөн is derived from the Proto-Mongolic root *ol-, meaning "eat." | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဗိုက်ဆာတယ် | ||
Hungry in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | lapar | ||
| "Lapar" is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word "*lapaq", meaning "to gnaw" or "to bite". | |||
| Javanese | luwe | ||
| The word "luwe" can also mean "empty" or "lacking". | |||
| Khmer | ឃ្លាន | ||
| "ឃ្លាន" also refers to unripe or uncooked foods, especially fruits and vegetables. | |||
| Lao | ຫິວ | ||
| The word "ຫິວ" can also mean "to crave" or "to desire" in Lao. | |||
| Malay | lapar | ||
| Lapar, meaning "hungry" in Malay, may also be used colloquially to express "desire" or "craving". | |||
| Thai | หิว | ||
| The word หิว (hĭ̀u) can also mean 'to want' or 'to crave' something. | |||
| Vietnamese | đói bụng | ||
| The word "đói bụng" in Vietnamese is etymologically related to "đau" (pain), suggesting a sense of empty discomfort. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | gutom | ||
Hungry in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | ac | ||
| The word “ac” in Azerbaijani is cognate with the word “aç” in Turkish, both meaning “hungry.” | |||
| Kazakh | аш | ||
| The Kazakh word "аш" also refers to food or a meal. | |||
| Kyrgyz | ачка | ||
| The word "ачка" can also refer to a thin person or animal. | |||
| Tajik | гурусна | ||
| “Гурусна” (hungry) is derived from an archaic form of Tajiki meaning “thirsty” and can still be used in that sense in certain regions. | |||
| Turkmen | aç | ||
| Uzbek | och | ||
| In Uzbek, "och" also means "green" or "unripe". | |||
| Uyghur | قورسىقى ئاچ | ||
Hungry in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pōloli | ||
| Pōloli refers to the rumbling of one's stomach or a sharp pain due to hunger. | |||
| Maori | hiakai | ||
| Hiakai also refers to being without food, or lacking other resources. | |||
| Samoan | fiaaai | ||
| The word "fiaaai" is the Proto-Polynesian word for "hungry" and is related to the Hawaiian word "hiwaai" which means "thirsty". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | nagugutom | ||
| "Nagugutom" originates from the word "gutom" (hunger), which itself is likely onomatopoeic from the sound of an empty rumbling stomach. | |||
Hungry in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | awtjata | ||
| Guarani | ñembyahýi | ||
Hungry in International Languages
| Esperanto | malsata | ||
| Esperanto's "malsata" comes from the Latin "malus sǎtiatus", meaning "insufficiently satisfied" or "ill-fed". | |||
| Latin | esuriit | ||
| The Latin word "esuriit" derives from the proto-Indo-European word "*esur-," which also means "to eat." | |||
Hungry in Others Languages
| Greek | πεινασμένος | ||
| The word "πεινασμένος" is derived from the Greek word "πείνα" (hunger) and the suffix "-μένος," which indicates a state of being or condition. | |||
| Hmong | kev tshaib plab | ||
| "Kev tshaib plab" comes from the verb "tshaib," meaning "to be wanting" or "to be in need. | |||
| Kurdish | birçî | ||
| In Kurdish, birçî can also refer to a type of food made from boiled wheat grains. | |||
| Turkish | aç | ||
| The word "aç" can also mean "open," as in "open to suggestions" | |||
| Xhosa | ndilambile | ||
| The word 'ndilambile' is used to describe 'the state of being without food' in Xhosa, and it also refers to a 'feeling of emptiness and longing'. | |||
| Yiddish | הונגעריק | ||
| 'הונגעריק' originates from the German word 'hunger,' but can also mean 'poor' or 'unfortunate' | |||
| Zulu | ulambile | ||
| Ulambile may also be used to describe someone who is eager or enthusiastic about something. | |||
| Assamese | ভোকাতুৰ | ||
| Aymara | awtjata | ||
| Bhojpuri | भूखा | ||
| Dhivehi | ބަނޑުހައިވުން | ||
| Dogri | भुक्खा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | gutom | ||
| Guarani | ñembyahýi | ||
| Ilocano | mabisin | ||
| Krio | angri | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | برسی | ||
| Maithili | भूखायल | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯆꯥꯛ ꯂꯥꯝꯕ | ||
| Mizo | riltam | ||
| Oromo | beela'aa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଭୋକିଲା | ||
| Quechua | yarqay | ||
| Sanskrit | बुभुक्षित | ||
| Tatar | ач | ||
| Tigrinya | ዝጠመየ | ||
| Tsonga | ndlala | ||