How to Say I’m Hungry in Japanese (+ More Useful Eating Phrases!)

Let’s be honest… when you’re learning a language, one of the most important things to say is that you’re hungry.

Especially when you are travelling around Japan with soo many delicious food options to get your stomach rumbling!

From expressing your hunger in casual or polite ways, to describing what exactly you are craving, this post will teach you the need-to-know phrases to get some oishii food in your belly and cure that hunger!

How to say ‘I am hungry’ in Japanese

Onaka suita

お腹すいた

I am hungry

Let’s start with the most common phrase: onaka suita (お腹すいた / おなかすいた).

Onaka (お腹) means ‘stomach’ in Japanese. When written as お腹 it is pronounced as onaka. However, if you see the kanji 腹 without the お it is pronounced hara (はら), both meaning ‘stomach’!

Onaka suita literally translates as ‘my stomach has become empty’. This is a widely used, casual phrase used to describe hunger. The more formal version of this phrase would be onaka ga sukimashita. 

Hara hetta

腹へった

I am hungry (masculine)

This phrase incorporates the less formal, お-omitted hara rather than onaka. Hara hetta (腹へった / はらへった) is a more masculine, casual way to say you are hungry. Hetta is the past tense of the verb heru, which means ‘to decrease’.

This is a popular phrase amongst males, however girls use it too!

Peko peko

ペコペコ

Hungry (cute)

Peko peko (ペコペコ / ぺこぺこ) is a cute, onomatopoeic phrase used to describe hunger. It comes from the verb hekomu (へこむ) which means ‘to cave in’, what your stomach might feel like when you are starving!

You can use this onomatopoeic term on its own, or as the phrase onaka peko peko, for further emphasis. 

Kuufuku desu

空腹です

I am hungry (formal)

Kuufuku desu (空腹です / くうふくです) is a very formal, polite way to express your hunger. Kuufuku combines the kanji for ‘empty’ 空 and ‘stomach’ 腹.

This phrase is good to know, although you may not hear it much. It is generally only reserved for use in writing or in very formal situations.

Nodo kawaita

喉渇いた

I am thirsty

Relating to hunger, it is also useful to know how to express ‘thirst’ in Japanese!

Nodo is the Japanese word for ‘throat’ and kawaku is the verb for ‘thirsty’. Kawaku’s historical meaning used to be ‘to dry up’, although in modern Japanese pretty much exclusively relates to thirst.

Nodo kawaita (喉渇いた / のどかわいた) is how you say ‘I am thirsty’ in Japanese. 

Describing what you want to eat

So, you have managed to express the fact that you are hungry. Now you need to tell people what you want to eat to curb your hunger!

⚪︎⚪︎ wo tabetai

⚪︎⚪︎を食べたい

I want to eat ⚪︎⚪︎

The verb ‘to eat’ in Japanese is tabemasu (食べます / たべます). In order to create the ‘desire-form’ of any verb in Japanese, you simply take the stem of the verb and add -tai on at the end.

Tabemasu = Tabetai

⚪︎⚪︎ wo nomitai

⚪︎⚪︎を飲みたい

I want to drink ⚪︎⚪︎

Going hand in hand with something you want to eat is something you want to drink! Following the same formula, the verb ‘to drink’, nomimasu becomes nomitai, in the desire-form. 

Take a look at our post about food to complete your cravings!

How to say ‘I’m full’ in Japanese

Onaka ippai

お腹いっぱい

I’m full

When all is said and done (or eaten), we can use the phrase onaka ippai (お腹いっぱい / おなかいっぱい) to say ‘I am full’. Ippai can be translated as ‘full’, ‘packed’, ‘to capacity’ etc.

Betsu bara 

別腹

Dessert stomach

I bet you thought it was over with onaka ippai, but not so fast!

Betsu bara (別腹 / べつばら) is a combination of the kanji for ‘separate’ 別 and ‘stomach’ 腹. It describes that situation after eating when you are ohh so full… buuut you could definitely find room for a sweet treat off the dessert menu!

Related posts

• 65+ Japanese Food Words to Make You Hungry
• Top Useful Japanese Restaurant Phrases and Vocabulary
• Itadakimasu and Gochisousama: Meaning, Translation and Usage in Japanese

Now you can get yourself fed in Japan!

Now you know how to say I’m hungry, I’m thirsty, I’m full, and more… in perfect Japanese!

Want to learn more useful, everyday Japanese? Our top recommended course is JapanesePod101.

Try it for free!

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Hannah Stafford

Hannah is a half Irish/half Japanese girl living in Ireland. Her love for Japan and the Japanese language led her to studying languages and translation in university where she specialised in Japanese. She spent a year studying abroad at Rikkyo University in Tokyo. In her free time, Hannah enjoys using her sewing machine to upcycle clothes and create new pieces!