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Is there any particular reason why the noun おなか goes with verb すく while the
noun はら goes with the verb へる? Would it be weird if I use おなかへった or はらすいた?

While on the same topic, does the 'starving' onomatopoeia ペコペコ go with both
おなか and はら?
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2011-06-29T14:59:36.303
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2016-11-24T13:56:58.110
2011-12-29T07:23:37.547
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question
word-choice set-phrases onomatopoeia metaphor
Why is it お[腹]{なか}が[空]{す}いた but [腹]{はら}[減]{へ}った?
Maybe it's a regional thing, but お腹減った [おなかへった] isn't weird at all. In fact, I
hear and use it a lot. On the other hand, 腹空いた [はらすいた] sounds weird and I
don't think I've ever heard it before.
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2011-06-29T15:14:46.297
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2011-06-29T15:14:46.297
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answer
I don't know who told you that each only went with one, but I don't think
that's true.

I have most definitely heard お腹【おなか】used with both verbs. And Google seems to
agree (100ks hits for either).

腹【はら】is less common in any case, and 腹空いた【はらすいた】 sounds a little unusual, but
Google still gives over 60k results for it, so I doubt it could be considered
'rare'.

ペコペコ describes your feeling of hunger (among other things), not the particular
emptiness of your stomach/belly, so no reason to use it with either word.
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2011-06-29T15:21:31.433
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2011-06-29T15:21:31.433
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answer
Besides the phrases being idiomatic (fixed), there is a slight difference in
the meaning of these words.

```

    お腹 (onaka) means stomach, although it can also mean belly
    腹 (hara) means belly
    
```

You can also tell this from the fact that the pronunciation for `お腹` (onaka)
is related to `中` (naka) 'inside', which implicates stomach. Therefore, even
with the same predicate, they mean different things:

```

    お腹が痛い 'my stomach hurts' means stomach ache caused by eating too much or poisoned food
    腹が痛い 'my belly hurts' means laughing to death, (in addition to the meaning above)
    
```

In the case in the question, `空く` 'become empty' goes well with stomach rather
than belly. `へる` 'lose volume' goes well with belly rather than with stomach
(stomach is just a wall).
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2011-07-04T00:53:13.340
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2016-11-24T13:56:58.110
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answer