หิว

Explanation

หิว is a very common stative verb in everyday Thai. By itself, it normally means “to be hungry.” It functions as a complete predicate, so no separate verb meaning “be” is needed. หิวข้าว is also common. Here, ข้าว does not refer only to rice; it broadly suggests food or a meal. หิวน้ำ is the standard combination for “to be thirsty.” With non-food objects, หิว can figuratively describe an appetite that feels urgent or excessive. Expressions such as หิวเงิน “hungry for money” and หิวอำนาจ “hungry for power” are often critical. The colloquial หิวแสง, literally “hungry for light,” mocks someone who constantly seeks attention or publicity.

Usage

It is used constantly in everyday situations: deciding when or where to eat, ordering food, or checking whether someone needs a meal. หิวไหม “Are you hungry?” can also serve as a natural way to suggest eating together. Figurative forms appear when criticizing someone’s appetite for money, power, publicity, or similar things. หิวแสง is especially common in casual conversation and on social media.

Caution

For a simple preference or desire to eat a particular dish, อยากกิน… “want to eat…” is usually more natural than หิว. Also, หิว by itself normally means hunger; add น้ำ and say หิวน้ำ to mean “be thirsty.” Calling someone หิวเงิน, หิวอำนาจ, or หิวแสง can accuse them of being greedy or excessively attention-seeking, so these expressions may be insulting when said directly to the person.

1 be hungry synonyms

• กระหาย

  กระหาย primarily means “to be thirsty” and can refer to thirst by itself. หิว alone normally means “to be hungry”; หิวน้ำ is used for thirst.

• อยาก

  yàak want to

  อยาก expresses a general wish or desire for something. หิว primarily describes a bodily need caused by a lack of food or drink.