ひもじい

• Reading: ひもじい
• Romaji: himojii
• Pronunciation: /çimo̞d͡ʑiː/

Meaning

Hungry; starving; famished. Expresses a deep, often pitiable state of hunger, with nuances of deprivation.

An archaic i-adjective carrying literary and nostalgic connotations. Unlike 空腹 (neutral word for hunger) or お腹がすいた (common everyday expression), ひもじい evokes an almost plaintive, physical deprivation. It appears in literature set during wartime, poverty, or hardship, and lends pathos to descriptions of hunger.

Examples

1. 山で道に迷い、何も食べられずにひもじい思いをして一夜を過ごした。 I got lost in the mountains and spent the night starving, with nothing to eat.
2. ひもじい子どもたちのために、毎週末炊き出しボランティアに参加している。 I volunteer at a soup kitchen every weekend for the hungry children.
3. 戦時中の祖母はひもじさに耐えかねて、野草や木の根まで食べたと話してくれた。 My grandmother told me that during the war, she was so famished she even ate wild grass and tree roots.

Usage Guide

Context: literature, historical narrative, hardship, old age speech

Tone: plaintive

Origin & History

An ancient Japanese word with obscure ultimate origin, found in classical texts since the Heian period. Some scholars trace it to 日の飢え (hi no ue) — 'hunger of the day' — though this is not conclusively established. The archaic adjective suffix じい (related to しい) reinforces its classical character.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical

Generation: Older adults

Social background: Universal