be hungry
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- 1 be hungry
Describes feeling hungry and wanting something to eat. Although ข้าว can mean “rice,” the expression is not limited to wanting rice.
be hungry
Expresses the physical feeling of hunger and the desire to eat a meal.
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เด็กน้อยหิวข้าวจนแสบท้อง dèk nɔ́ɔy hǐw khâaw con sɛ̀ɛp thɔ́ɔŋ The little child was so hungry that their stomach hurt. เด็กน้อยหิวข้าวจนแสบท้อง details
Learning notes
Explanation
This expression combines หิว, “to feel hungry,” with ข้าว, which can mean “rice” or, more broadly, “a meal.” Here, ข้าว does not restrict the meaning to rice; the phrase can be used even when you want noodles, bread, or another kind of food. Like many Thai words describing physical or emotional states, หิวข้าว can function directly as the predicate. For example, ฉันหิวข้าว means “I’m hungry,” without เป็น or คือ. The subject is often omitted when it is clear from context, so หิวข้าวแล้ว is a natural standalone remark.
Usage
Common in everyday conversation when mealtime is approaching, after someone has gone without food, or when asking whether another person wants to eat. It is also a natural way to lead into suggesting a meal.
Caution
Use หิวน้ำ for being thirsty. Also, do not interpret ข้าว here as referring only to rice; the expression normally means being hungry for food in general.
Differences from similar words
1 be hungry synonyms
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หิว by itself commonly means “to be hungry” and is the shorter, more general form. หิวข้าว explicitly points to hunger for food or a meal, as opposed to thirst.