飢饉

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 飢饉 is read as ききん and is a noun for a prolonged, widespread shortage of food that causes famine.
• Basic usage: Use 長い飢饉に苦しむ for suffering its effects and 飢饉に備えて穀物を蓄える for preparing in advance.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Not individual hunger
  • It denotes a broad food crisis affecting a community over time, not one person merely missing a meal.
• Record and preparation
  • A history records suffering from a past famine, while the king in a story stores grain against a possible future one.