Hungry, full, thirsty

Collocations, Stage 1chunk 2 of 22Body & health

Everyday appetite signals: hungry (two ways), full and thirsty.

• onaka ga sukuget hungry
• onaka ga ippaibe full (after eating)
• nodo ga kawakuget thirsty
• onaka ga heruget hungry (blunter, casual)

Mix-ups onaka suita and onaka hetta mean the same, but hetta sounds blunter, so learn suita first and hetta as its casual twin. Both use the past tense for hunger you feel now, and so does nodo kawaita. onaka ippai has no verb of its own (add ni natta for the past).

onaka ga suku

polite onaka ga sukimasuheard 520×

get hungry

お腹がすく おなかがすくPlay お腹がすきますPlay

verbsuku すくbecome empty, thin out (densha ga suiteru = the train isn't crowded)typical 70% of onaka

trap No everyday 'hungry' adjective (himojii is old-fashioned): the stomach empties, onaka suita, in the past tense for hunger you feel now.

Said in the past for hunger you feel now: onaka suita (I'm hungry), ga usually dropped. Onaka suiteru? asks if someone is hungry, and onaka suitenai is 'I'm not hungry'.

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aa, onaka suita. nanka tabeyou.

I'm so hungry. Let's get something to eat.

ああ、お腹すいた。なんか食べよう。

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aa, onaka ga sukimashita ne. nanika tabemashou ka.

I'm hungry, aren't you? Shall we get something to eat?

ああ、お腹がすきましたね。何か食べましょうか。

Onaka hetta (onaka ga heru) means the same but sounds a little blunter; hara hetta is the rough, mostly male version. Onaka pekopeko (I'm starving) sounds childish or cute.

Same verb: densha (train), michi (road), mise (shop)Learn alongside: onaka ga ippai, nodo ga kawaku, onaka ga heru

onaka ga ippai

polite onaka ga ippai desuheard —rarely

be full (after eating)

お腹がいっぱい おなかがいっぱいPlay お腹がいっぱいですPlay

adjectiveippai いっぱいfull, filled up; also 'a lot' (ippai aru = there's lots)

trap English 'I'm full' names no body part; Japanese says the stomach is full, onaka ippai. Keep onaka in: ippai alone mostly means 'a lot', and mou ippai can be heard as 'one more (drink)'.

Said at the end of a meal and to turn down more food, usually without ga: mou onaka ippai (I'm full). It has no verb of its own: add desu to be polite, and ni natta for the past, as in onaka ippai ni natta? (are you full?).

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aa, onaka ippai. mou taberarenai.

I'm so full. I can't eat another bite.

ああ、お腹いっぱい。もう食べられない。

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mou onaka ippai desu. gochisousama deshita.

I'm full. Thank you for the meal.

もうお腹いっぱいです。ごちそうさまでした。

Hara ippai is the rougher, mostly male version; hara ippai taberu = eat your fill. Mou onaka ippai can also mean 'I've had enough of that'.

Same adjective: yotei (schedule), chuushajou (car park)Learn alongside: onaka ga suku, nodo ga kawaku, onaka ga heruMain list: ippai (Stage 3), gochisousama (Stage 1)

nodo ga kawaku

polite nodo ga kawakimasuheard 243×

get thirsty

喉が渇く のどがかわくPlay 喉が渇きますPlay

verbkawaku 渇くbecome dry (of the throat); the same-sounding kawaku is also used for laundry or paint dryingtypical 38% of nodo

trap No 'thirsty' adjective: the throat dries, nodo kawaita, in the past tense for thirst you feel now.

Said in the past for thirst you feel now: nodo kawaita (I'm thirsty), ga usually dropped. Nodo kawaiteru? asks if someone is thirsty.

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nodo kawaita. mizu aru?

I'm thirsty. Is there any water?

喉渇いた。水ある？

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nodo ga kawakimashita. omizu o moraemasu ka?

I'm thirsty. Could I have some water?

喉が渇きました。お水をもらえますか？

The same nodo is the throat in nodo ga itai (sore throat).

Learn alongside: onaka ga suku, onaka ga ippai, onaka ga heru

onaka ga heru

polite onaka ga herimasuheard 48×

get hungry (blunter, casual)

お腹が減る おなかがへるPlay お腹が減りますPlay

verbheru 減るdecrease, go down (taijuu ga heru = lose weight)typical 6% of onaka

trap Hunger is a past-tense verb, not an adjective: onaka hetta (I'm hungry); onaka heru sounds like 'I'll get hungry'.

Like onaka suita, said in the past for hunger you feel now: onaka hetta, with ga often dropped. It's a bit blunter and more casual than suita, and the rough, mostly male hara hetta is the form heard most in film. In desu/masu talk onaka ga sukimashita is the safer default; herimashita sounds blunt and a little male.

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onaka hetta. nanka tabe ni ikanai?

I'm hungry. Want to go grab something to eat?

お腹減った。なんか食べに行かない？

politePlay

onaka ga herimashita ne. nanika tabe ni ikimasen ka?

I'm hungry, aren't you? Shall we go and get something to eat?

お腹が減りましたね。何か食べに行きませんか？

Same meaning as onaka ga suku. Among friends onaka hetta is just as everyday; hara hetta is its rough, mostly male twin.

Same verb: hara (belly: hara hetta = rough, mostly male), taijuu (weight: plain 'go down' sense), okane (money: plain 'go down' sense)Learn alongside: onaka ga suku, onaka ga ippai, nodo ga kawaku