饿 è — to be hungry; hungry
忙了一上午，我感到肚子很饿。Máng le yí shàng wǔ, wǒ gǎn dào dù zi hěn è.After being busy all morning, I feel very hungry.
Common words: 饥饿 (jī è)、忍饥挨饿 (rěn jī ái è)、解饿 (jiě è)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "hungry"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "hungry", including 饿 (è), 饥 (jī). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words, and examples.
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "hungry" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 饿 (è), 饥 (jī) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span è, jī — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 饿 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 饿 èto be hungry; hungryUseful words: 饥饿, 忍饥挨饿
- 饥 jīhungryUseful words: 饥饿, 忍饥挨饿
Common words for these 2 "hungry" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 饿 (è) — so "hungry" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "hungry".
饥 jī — hungry
在那个年代，许多人都忍受着饥饿。Zài nà ge nián dài, xǔ duō rén dōu rěn shòu zhe jī è.In that era, many people endured hunger.
Common words: 饥饿 (jī è)、忍饥挨饿 (rěn jī ái è)、充饥 (chōng jī)
All 2 characters
Open 饿、饥 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.