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飢餓 (きが, kiga) Japanese meaning: starvation | Kotomora

飢き餓が

き

が

Common word›JLPTN1›Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

starvation; famine; hunger

Refers to severe lack of food, often on a large scale or in a serious context. Used in news, formal writing, and discussions of humanitarian crises.

多おおくの国くにで飢き

餓が

が

深しん

刻こく

な

問もん

題だい

に

なっ

て

いる

。

Starvation has become a serious problem in many countries.

飢き餓がに苦くるしむ人ひと々びとを助たすけるために募ぼ金きんが行おこなわれた。

A fundraiser was held to help people suffering from famine.

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉が飢き餓がに苦くるしむfor someone to suffer from starvation
多おおくの子こどもたちが飢き餓がに苦くるしんでいる。
Many children are suffering from starvation.
飢き餓が状じょう態たいに陥おちいるto fall into a state of starvation
干かんばつでその地ち域いきは飢き餓が状じょう態たいに陥おちいった。
The region fell into a state of famine due to the drought.
飢き餓がを防ふせぐto prevent famine/starvation
この支し援えん活かつ動どうは飢き餓がを防ふせぐことを目もく的てきとしている。
This aid program aims to prevent famine.
飢き餓がに苛さいなまれるto be tormented by hunger/starvation
戦せん争そう中ちゅう、住じゅう民みんたちは飢き餓がに苛さいなまれた。
During the war, the residents were tormented by starvation.

Kanji

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

Related words

空くう腹ふくN1
空腹 refers to the ordinary feeling of an empty stomach, while 飢餓 describes severe, prolonged starvation often on a societal or humanitarian scale.
飢うえ
飢え is the more general, literary word for hunger or starvation, while 飢餓 is the formal term used especially in news and humanitarian contexts.
栄えい養よう失しっ調ちょうN1
飢餓 means outright starvation or famine from lack of food, whereas 栄養失調 can also arise from an unbalanced diet even with enough calories.

Opposites

飽ほう食しょく
飽食 describes a state of being overfed or having more than enough food, the opposite of the severe food shortage described by 飢餓.

Don't confuse with

餓が死し
飢餓 is the ongoing state of starvation, while 餓死 specifically means dying from that starvation, so the two are easily confused but not interchangeable.
飢き饉きんN2
飢餓 describes the physical state of starvation or hunger itself, while 飢饉 refers to the wider social/economic event of a famine that causes such starvation.

Word family

飢き餓が感かん
feeling of hunger; hunger sensation
飢き餓が療りょう法ほう
starvation diet; fasting cure
飢き餓が線せん上じょうに
on the verge of starvation; at the point of starving

Written forms

飢き餓がUsage98%
Standard kanji spelling; high-frequency news term.
饑き餓がUsage2%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; 飢 is the modern standard.

Etymology

Compound of 飢 (ki, 'hunger, starve') and 餓 (ga, 'starve'). Both kanji convey severe hunger; the word is a Sino-Japanese term used in formal and technical contexts.