Refers to the state of being hungry or lacking food, often with a nuance of prolonged or severe hunger. Can be used literally or figuratively (e.g., hunger for knowledge).
Many people are suffering from hunger.
He has a hunger for knowledge.
He satisfied his hunger with a single piece of bread.
They ate wild plants to stave off starvation.
Many people died of starvation.
She had a hunger for knowledge.
飢餓 is a formal, often clinical or statistical term for starvation, while 飢え is the everyday word for the same state.
飢饉 describes a large-scale famine affecting many people, whereas 飢え is the individual experience of being hungry or starving.
飢え literally means hunger and is often paired with 渇き (as in 飢えと渇き) to express a deep metaphorical longing.
満腹 means being full or satisfied after eating, the direct opposite of 飢え, the state of hunger.
Standard kanji spelling for hunger/starvation. News and frequency priority.
Variant kanji spelling; less common than 飢え.
Rarely used kanji form.
Derived from the verb 飢える (うえる, 'to starve'), with the 連用形 (continuative form) used as a noun. The kanji 飢 is associated with hunger and starvation.