食欲（しょくよく、shokuyoく）
- appetite

The Japanese word 食欲 (しょくよく) refers to one's appetite or the desire to eat. It encapsulates the feeling of hunger and the craving for food. It’s the drive or motivation to consume food. It can also imply the enjoyment one gets from eating.

⚫︎ 今日はとても食欲があります。 Translation: I have a big appetite today. ⚫︎ 彼は最近、食欲が落ちました。 Translation: His appetite has decreased recently. ⚫︎ この料理は食欲をそそりますね。 Translation: This dish is very appetizing.

You can use 食欲 in various contexts related to eating and food. ⚫︎ It can be used to describe your own appetite or someone else's. ⚫︎ You can use it to talk about how food looks, smells, or tastes, and how it stimulates your desire to eat. ⚫︎ You can also use it to discuss changes in appetite, such as a loss of appetite due to illness or stress.

⚫︎ The word is typically written with the kanji 食 (shoku - food, eating) and 欲 (yoku - desire, appetite). ⚫︎ The hiragana reading is しょくよく. ⚫︎ There are no common variations in okurigana.

⚫︎ 空腹感 (くうふくかん) - feeling of hunger ⚫︎ 食べたい気持ち (たべたいきもち) - the feeling of wanting to eat ⚫︎ 食い意地 (くいじ) - greediness for food (can have a negative connotation)

⚫︎ 食欲不振 (しょくよくふしん) - loss of appetite, anorexia ⚫︎ 吐き気 (はきけ) - nausea

美味しい料理を見て、私の食欲がわきました。 ・Translation: Seeing the delicious food, my appetite increased. ・Explanation: This sentence describes how seeing good food triggered a desire to eat.

風邪をひいて、全然食欲がありません。 ・Translation: I have a cold, and I have no appetite at all. ・Explanation: This sentence explains a loss of appetite due to illness.

The word 食欲 is formed from two kanji: 食, meaning "food" or "to eat," and 欲, meaning "desire" or "want." Thus, the combination literally means "desire for food" or "appetite."