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.
