Translation guide
How to express 'empty stomach' in Japanese, from feeling hungry to medical contexts.
Expressing that one's stomach is empty and they feel hungry.
The most common and natural way to say 'I'm hungry' or 'my stomach is empty'. Literally 'stomach has become empty'.
お腹が空いたから、何か食べよう。
I'm hungry, so let's eat something.
An onomatopoeic expression meaning 'very hungry' or 'stomach is completely empty'. Casual and emphatic.
Describing doing something when the stomach is empty, especially taking medicine or drinking alcohol.
Standard phrase meaning 'on an empty stomach', used in instructions for medication or health advice.
この薬は空腹時に飲んでください。
Please take this medicine on an empty stomach.
Referring to the stomach being empty in a medical or physiological sense, such as before surgery or examination.
Directly means 'stomach is empty'. Used in medical contexts or when describing the physical state.
胃が空っぽの状態で検査を受けます。
You will undergo the examination with an empty stomach.
お腹が空いた is the everyday expression for 'I'm hungry'. 空腹 is more formal and often used in writing or set phrases like 空腹時 (on an empty stomach).
The literal translation '空の胃' (からのい) is not natural Japanese. Use the phrases above depending on context.
もうお腹がペコペコだよ。
I'm already starving.
A more formal or written way to say 'hungry' or 'empty stomach'. Often used in descriptive or literary contexts.
空腹のあまり、集中できない。
I'm so hungry I can't concentrate.
A rough, masculine way to say 'I'm hungry'. Literally 'stomach has decreased'. Common in casual male speech.
腹が減ったな。ラーメンでも食うか。
I'm hungry. Wanna grab some ramen?
A more explanatory way to say 'on an empty stomach', literally 'in a state of having eaten nothing'. Used in conversation or explanation.
何も食べていない状態でお酒を飲むと、酔いやすい。
If you drink alcohol on an empty stomach, you get drunk easily.
A colloquial expression meaning 'on an empty stomach'. Often used when drinking or taking medicine casually.
すきっ腹でビールを飲んだら、すぐに回った。
I drank beer on an empty stomach and it hit me fast.
Medical term meaning 'fasting state' or 'empty stomach', often used before surgery or tests.
手術前は絶食状態にしてください。
Please keep an empty stomach before the surgery.
Take medicine with an empty stomach (literal, not recommended)
Take medicine with an empty stomach (literal, not recommended)