How to say "hungry" in Japanese

• ハングリーCommon
  na-adjectiveThe figurative sense: hunger for success rather than for food. It describes a person with a strong, driving appetite for achievement, so it fits talk about ambitious athletes, entrepreneurs, and the like.
  私の好すきな曲きょくはハングリー・スパイダーです。↗

  My favorite song is Hungry Spider.
• 腹ペコはらぺこ
  no-adjective, na-adjectivePhysical hunger, ranging from hungry to outright starving. A colloquial word for casual complaints about an empty stomach, the way a child or friend might announce they are starving.
  長ながい間歩かんぽいたのでハラペコでしょう。↗

  You must be starving now after your long walk.
• ひだるい
  i-adjectivePhysical hunger, but a formal or literary term and a less common one; in everyday conversation this is seldom the word you want, and it is normally written in kana.
  ひだるい時ときにまずい物ものなし。↗

  Hunger is the best sauce.

Use 「ハングリー」 for figurative hunger such as hunger for success, 「腹ペコ」 for casual talk about physical hunger or starving, and 「ひだるい」 in formal or literary contexts.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• ハングリーhungry (e.g. for success)
• 腹ペコはらぺこhungry
• ひだるいhungry