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腹の虫が鳴く (はらのむしがなく) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
expression, godan verb (-ku)
one's stomach rumbles ; one's stomach growls
idiomatic expression
Idiomatic expression for a stomach making noise from hunger. Literally 'the bug in one's belly cries'. Compare 腹の虫が鳴る, which is a variant using 鳴る (to sound) instead of 鳴く (to cry).
See also: 腹の虫が鳴る
静しず か な 教きょう 室しつ で 、 突とつ 然ぜん 腹はら の 虫むし が 鳴な い て 恥は ずかしかっ た 。
In the quiet classroom, my stomach suddenly growled and I was embarrassed.
Similar words 腹はら の 虫むし が 鳴な る Variant using 鳴る (to sound) instead of 鳴く (to cry). Essentially synonymous, but 鳴く may carry a slightly more vivid, personified nuance.
お 腹なか が 鳴な る More common, straightforward expression for stomach rumbling. Lacks the idiomatic 'bug' imagery.
Etymology Idiom combining 腹 (belly), 虫 (bug/insect), and 鳴く (to cry). The 'bug' is a folk belief that a creature inside the body causes hunger pangs. The exact origin is uncertain, but similar expressions exist in Japanese folklore.
