Translation guide
How to express 'empty stomach' in Japanese, from feeling hungry to medical contexts.
I'm hungry, so let's eat something.
An onomatopoeic expression meaning 'very hungry' or 'stomach is completely empty'. Casual and emphatic.
I'm already starving.
A more formal or written way to say 'hungry' or 'empty stomach'. Often used in descriptive or literary contexts.
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.
I'm hungry. Wanna grab some ramen?
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.
Please take this medicine on an empty stomach.
A more explanatory way to say 'on an empty stomach', literally 'in a state of having eaten nothing'. Used in conversation or explanation.
A colloquial expression meaning 'on an empty stomach'. Often used when drinking or taking medicine casually.
Referring to the stomach being empty in a medical or physiological sense, such as before surgery or examination.
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).
We're hungry, huh.
I feel hunger.
The literal translation '空の胃' (からのい) is not natural Japanese. Use the phrases above depending on context.
Take medicine with an empty stomach (literal, not recommended)
If you drink alcohol on an empty stomach, you get drunk easily.
I drank beer on an empty stomach and it hit me fast.
Please keep an empty stomach before the surgery.