Japanese symbol for “starve”
飢える
うえる
Romaji: ueru
to starve; to be famished; to be hungry
In Japanese, starve is 飢える, read うえる (ueru).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- v1, vi to starve; to be famished; to be hungry
- v1, vi to be starved of (e.g. love); to be thirsty for (e.g. knowledge); to be hungry for
Written forms: 飢える、餓える、饑える. Readings: うえる、かつえる.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “starve”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 疲れる | つかれる tsukareru | to starve |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 飢餓 | きが kiga | starvation; famine; hunger |
| 飢え | うえ ue | hunger; starvation |
| 飢饉 | ききん kikin | famine; crop failure |
| 飢え死に | うえじに uejini | (death from) starvation; starving to death |
| 飢渇 | きかつ kikatsu | hunger and thirst; starvation |
See also: Chinese symbol for “starve”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.