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餓 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
餓èhungry; greedyx, 15 strokes, radical 飠
è(e4) T4
  1. 1hungry; greedy
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

餓è(e4)

The character 餓 (è) means 'hungry' or 'to be starving'. It is commonly used to describe the feeling of hunger or the condition of having no food. In certain contexts, it can also imply a sense of greed or strong desire for food.

Strokes15Radical飠
Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, sharing food is a significant part of social interactions, and expressing hunger can be seen as a polite way of indicating a need for food during meals or gatherings.

Memory Tip

Imagine a person with an empty plate, their stomach growling as they exclaim 'è!' in desperation for food. The character 餓 has the radical for 'food' (食) at the bottom, indicating its connection to hunger and eating.

Meanings of 餓

è(e4)
1hungry; greedy
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 餓

餓Simplified
15Strokes
飠Radical
非语素字non-morpheme character (n-m.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 餓

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Podcast: 餓

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AI Study Notes for 餓

Quick Contrast

饥 (jī) — use 餓 (è) for a more intense or desperate state of hunger, while 饥 (jī) generally refers to being hungry without the same urgency.

Usage Notes

A common mistake is to confuse 餓 (è) with other similar-sounding words. This character is typically used in informal contexts, but can be used in formal writing to express hunger. Be careful with the tone; the falling tone 'è' is essential for correct pronunciation.

HSK Study Tips

Although 餓 is not listed in the HSK levels, it relates to basic vocabulary about food and hunger, which is essential for daily conversations. Students should focus on related vocabulary like 吃 (chī - to eat) and 饱 (bǎo - full) to build context.

Common Mistakes

Learners sometimes confuse 餓 (è) with 渴 (kě, thirsty) due to similar contexts. Remember that 餓 specifically refers to hunger, whereas 渴 refers to thirst.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 餓

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Etymology of 餓

Formation TypeIdeographic 指事
六书 ClassificationIdeograph (指事字)~2% of characters
Explanation

Simplified form of 餓. Phonosemantic compound. 飠 represents the meaning and 我 represents the sound.

Memory Hint

To want 我 food 飠; 我 also provides the pronunciation

Learn more about Ideograph (指事字) characters

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 餓

Simplified form of 餓. Phonosemantic compound. 飠 represents the meaning and 我 represents the sound.

  1. 1The giveawayTo want 我 food 飠; 我 also provides the pronunciation
  2. 2On the record asideographic — someone drew an idea rather than an object.

Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.

Want the full history of 餓? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.

Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 餓?

Decomposition of 餓

IDS Structure⿰飠我
餓Full Character
=
飠shi2
left
我wo3
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 餓?

How to say hungry; greedy in Chinese

“hungry; greedy” in Chinese is餓è

The character 餓 (è) means 'hungry' or 'to be starving'. It is commonly used to describe the feeling of hunger or the condition of having no food. In certain contexts, it can also imply a sense of greed or strong desire for food.

When to use 餓

A common mistake is to confuse 餓 (è) with other similar-sounding words. This character is typically used in informal contexts, but can be used in formal writing to express hunger. Be careful with the tone; the falling tone 'è' is essential for correct pronunciation.

餓 or something close to it

饥 (jī) — use 餓 (è) for a more intense or desperate state of hunger, while 饥 (jī) generally refers to being hungry without the same urgency.

What learners get wrong

Learners sometimes confuse 餓 (è) with 渴 (kě, thirsty) due to similar contexts. Remember that 餓 specifically refers to hunger, whereas 渴 refers to thirst.

Write 餓

餓

Practice writing 餓 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Word Family of 餓

Words Containing This Character11
饿èhungry餓
饥饿jī’èhunger飢餓
挨饿to go hungry挨餓
饿鬼glutton餓鬼
忍饥挨饿rěnjīáièstarving忍飢挨餓
饿殍starving people餓殍
饿虎扑食like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey餓虎撲食
解饿to relieve hunger解餓
饱汉不知饿汉饥The well-fed cannot know how the starving suffer (idiom).飽漢不知餓漢飢
饿殍载道starved corpses fill the roads (idiom); state of famine餓殍載道
饿莩遍野starving people everywhere (idiom); a state of famine餓莩遍野
Exercise 1 of 4

Compound Meaning

What does 饿 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 餓

You can say '我饿了' (Wǒ è le), which means 'I am hungry.'

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