饿

Left-side food radical - the indexing radical, simplified left-form of 食. Marks 饿 as something to do with eating (or its absence). Same family of food/eating chars: 饭 (cooked rice), 饮 (drink), 饱 (full), 馆 (eatery), 馒 (steamed bun). When the food radical pairs with a phonetic, the meaning is some food-state.

Right-side 我 supplies the sound, with wǒ shifting to è in 饿 - a sizable rime change but a well-attested phonetic series. A common mnemonic: 'I (我) want food (饣) = I'm hungry'. Phonetic family: 鹅 (goose), 蛾 (moth), 俄 (suddenly/Russia).