1.
to starve; to go hungry; to be famished
To suffer from a lack of food. Describes a state of serious hunger or starvation, not merely being peckish.
戦時中、多くの人が飢えた。
During the war, many people starved.
飢えた子どもたちに食料が届けられた。
Food was delivered to the starving children.
飢えと寒さの中で、人々は必死に生き延びようとした。
Amid starvation and cold, people desperately tried to survive.
2.
to hunger for; to crave; to thirst for
Figuratively, to strongly desire or crave something that is lacking, such as love, knowledge, stimulation, or recognition.
愛情に飢えている。
To be starving for affection.
新しい刺激に飢えた若者たちが都会に集まってくる。
Young people hungry for new stimulation flock to the city.
長い間情報に飢えていた住民たちは、ようやくニュースを手に入れることができた。
The residents, who had been starved of information for a long time, were finally able to get news.
USAGE:
飢える is an ichidan verb. The literal meaning (sense 1) describes serious hunger or starvation. The figurative meaning (sense 2) is very common and follows the pattern 〜に飢える (to hunger for ~).
The kanji can also be written as 餓える, though 飢える is more standard.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 飢えに苦しむ (to suffer from hunger)
- 愛情に飢える (to hunger for affection)
- 知識に飢える (to thirst for knowledge)
- 飢えた目 (hungry eyes)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 飢える: to starve (severe hunger; also figurative craving)
- 空腹: hunger (the state of having an empty stomach)
- 餓死する: to die of starvation (fatal outcome)
- 渇望する: to yearn for (formal, figurative only)