Whether it’s a growling stomach, a craving for pizza, or a crisis in a developing country—Germans use the same word: Hunger. It’s primal, physical, and deeply human. And yes, it’s the same word in English—just with a sharper German bite.

The noun Hunger means hunger or extreme appetite—ranging from a casual “I’m hungry” to the global tragedy of famine. It’s a core human experience and one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German, so you’ll encounter it early and often.

It’s a masculine noun, so we say der Hunger.

Pronunciation

Hunger is pronounced [HOONG-er], with the “u” sounding like the “oo” in “book,” and the “g” sounding harder than in English—closer to “Hung-air,” but faster and tighter. It sounds slightly more urgent and growly than the English equivalent. Appropriate.

Example sentences:

• Ich habe großen Hunger.
  I’m really hungry.
• Der Hunger in der Region nimmt zu.
  Hunger in the region is increasing.

Nuance and usage tips

You’ll most often see Hunger paired with haben (to have):

• Ich habe Hunger. – “I’m hungry.”
• Hast du Hunger? – “Are you hungry?”

You don’t usually say Ich bin hungrig in casual German (though hungrig is a valid adjective)—Hunger haben is the natural idiom.

And Hunger can also be metaphorical, expressing deep desire:

• Hunger nach Liebe – hunger for love
• Hunger nach Erfolg – hunger for success

An opposite? Of course: Sättigung (feminine, die Sättigung), meaning satiation or fullness—though that’s more scientific or nutritional. In speech, Germans are more likely to say Ich bin satt (“I’m full”).

Grammatical case examples:

• Nominative: Der Hunger war kaum auszuhalten.
  The hunger was almost unbearable.
• Accusative: Ich spüre den Hunger in meinem Bauch.
  I feel the hunger in my stomach.
• Dative: Mit dem Hunger kam auch die Müdigkeit.
  With the hunger came tiredness too.
• Genitive: Wegen des Hungers wurde die Hilfe beschleunigt.
  Because of the hunger, aid was sped up.

Masculine pattern: der, den, dem, des

Word variations and language tidbits

Variation Station:

• Welthunger – global hunger
• Hungersnot – famine
• Hungerstreik – hunger strike
• Hungerlohn – starvation wage
• hungerleidend – suffering from hunger (formal/literary)

And: Hunger Games is translated as Die Tribute von Panem in German, not Hungerspiele.

👉 Duden – Hunger

🎥 Learn Hunger and the rest of the top 1000 German nouns in our free online video course:
https://deutschable.com/nouns/

Up for another German word of the day? How about Unrecht? Or do you know how to say hint in German?