1.
to be thirsty, to be parched
To feel thirst. Used with 喉 (throat) in the pattern 喉が渇く. Written with 渇 to distinguish from 乾く (to dry physically).
喉が渇いた。
I'm thirsty.
暑い日は喉が渇きやすい。
On hot days, you get thirsty easily.
喉が渇いたので、自動販売機で水を買った。
I was thirsty, so I bought water from a vending machine.
2.
to thirst for, to crave
To strongly desire or crave something, used figuratively.
愛情に渇いている。
I'm starved for affection.
知識に渇いた若者たちが図書館に集まった。
Young people thirsting for knowledge gathered at the library.
TRANSITIVITY:
自動詞 (intransitive). Pattern: Xが渇く.
ASPECT (ている):
渇いている indicates a current state of being thirsty.
KANJI NOTE:
渇く and 乾く are both read かわく but have different meanings. 渇く means "to be thirsty" or "to crave," while 乾く means "to dry" or "to become dry." In practice, 喉が渇く and 喉が乾く are both used for thirst, but 渇く emphasizes the craving while 乾く emphasizes the physical dryness.
COMMON PATTERNS:
- 喉が渇く (to be thirsty)
- 愛情に渇く (to crave affection)
- 知識に渇く (to thirst for knowledge)