おなかすいた

おなかすいた is the most common casual way to express hunger in Japanese. It is a contraction of お腹(なか)が空(す)いた, with the particle が dropped as is typical in casual speech.

Etymology

お腹(なか)が空(す)いた — literally "stomach became empty." The past tense indicates a completed change of state: "I've become hungry" → "I am hungry."

Forms

• おなかすいた: casual (most common spoken form)
• お腹(なか)が空(す)きました: polite
• おなかすいたー: drawn out, emphasizing how hungry one is
• おなかぺこぺこ: childish/playful alternative
• 腹(はら)減(へ)った: masculine, rougher equivalent

Related words

Japanese has a set of casual body-state expressions using past tense:

• おなかすいた: I'm hungry
• のどかわいた: I'm thirsty
• つかれた: I'm tired
• 眠(ねむ)い: I'm sleepy (adjective, not past tense)