Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.

Words Kanji Guides About

餓虎 (がこ) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

餓が虎こ

Meanings

1

noun

starving tiger

Literally a tiger that is starving; often used metaphorically to describe someone fierce or desperate, like a hungry predator.

餓が虎このように獲え物ものに飛とびかかった。
He pounced on his prey like a starving tiger.

Kanji

餓starve, hungry, thirst
虎tiger, drunkard

Etymology

Compound of 餓 (ga, 'starving') and 虎 (ko, 'tiger'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word is conventionally associated with the image of a fierce, hungry tiger.