How to say "appetite" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 食欲しょくよくnounCovers appetite in the literal sense — the urge to eat. Typical contexts include having a good or poor appetite, or losing it through illness or stress.
- 欲望よくぼうnounCovers desire and lust in a broad sense, including figurative appetites — an appetite for power, money, or pleasure. For the physical urge to eat, 食欲 is the word instead.
- 欲よくnoun, noun (suffix)Centers on greed and craving — wanting more than one needs or is entitled to. For most senses of 'appetite' it is seldom the word you want; it really means greed.
- 食しょくnounChiefly means eating; the 'appetite' sense is secondary, and it is seldom the word you want for appetite — for the urge to eat, 食欲 is the word.
Use 食欲 for the physical urge to eat, 欲望 for broad desires or figurative appetites, 欲 for greed or craving, and 食 mainly for eating itself rather than appetite.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
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