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お腹を空かす (おなかをすかす) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

お腹なかを空すかす

Meanings

1

expression, godan verb (-su)

feel hungry; get hungry

A set phrase meaning to be hungry or to become hungry. Often used in the progressive form お腹を空かしている to describe a current state of hunger.

See also: お腹を空かせる

子こどもたちはお腹なかを空すかして帰かえってきた。
The children came home hungry.

お腹なかを空すかしているなら、何なにか作つくろうか？

If you're hungry, shall I make something?

Written forms

お腹なかを空すかす
Standard kanji spelling using 空かす.
お腹なかをすかす
Kana spelling for 空かす; common in casual writing.

Kanji

腹abdomen, belly, stomach
空empty, sky, void

Similar words

お腹なかを空すかせる
お腹を空かせる is a transitive/causative form meaning 'to make oneself hungry' or 'to let oneself get hungry', while お腹を空かす is intransitive and simply means 'to be/get hungry'. In practice, they are often used interchangeably in casual speech.

Etymology

A set phrase combining お腹 (stomach) with the verb 空かす (to make empty). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it is a common colloquial expression for hunger.