飢うえる

う

え

る

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

ichidan verb, intransitive verb

starve; be famished; be hungry

Literal physical hunger or starvation. Often used in serious contexts of food deprivation.

戦せん争そう中ちゅう、多おおくの人ひと々びとが飢うえた。
During the war, many people starved.
腹はらが減へって飢うえ死じにし

そう

だ

。

I'm so hungry I feel like I'm going to starve to death.

2

ichidan verb, intransitive verb

be starved of; be thirsty for; be hungry for

Metaphorical hunger or craving for abstract things like love, knowledge, or success. Often used with に or を.

彼かれは知ち識しきに飢うえている。
He is thirsty for knowledge.
愛あい情じょうに飢うえた子こ供どもたち。
Children starved of affection.

Written forms

飢えるUsage93%
- うえる
  Standard kanji spelling; high priority.
- かつえる
餓えるUsage6%
- うえる
  Alternate kanji form; less common but still used.
- かつえる
かつえるUsage1%
饑うえる
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.

Kanji

飢hungry, starve
餓starve, hungry, thirst
饑hunger, thirst

Similar words

空くう腹ふく
空腹 is a noun/adjective meaning 'empty stomach' or 'hungry' in a more everyday, less severe sense. 飢える implies a deeper, more desperate hunger or starvation.
餓が死し
餓死 is a noun meaning 'death from starvation'. 飢える is the verb describing the state of starving.

Etymology

The kanji 飢, 餓, and 饑 all relate to hunger or famine. The verb うえる is a native Japanese word, and the kanji are used for their meaning. The reading かつえる is a less common variant.