Does a hungry growl come only from your stomach?

The stomach and intestines squeeze in sequence, like squeezing a toothpaste tube, to move food, water, and air downward. Air and liquid mix and shift as they move, creating a gurgling sound.

A doctor listening to your abdomen with a stethoscope can usually hear these sounds. Complete silence may instead prompt a check of whether the intestines are moving properly. The sound itself means the intestines are doing their job.

After the digestive tract has been empty for about two hours, the stomach and small intestine begin strong contractions that sweep away leftover material. Roughly every 90–120 minutes, a wave passes from the stomach to the end of the small intestine.

At this point, there is little food inside to muffle the sound, rather like an empty container ringing louder when tapped. Eating stops these cleaning contractions, so even a bite of a snack often quiets the noise.

It's easy to take a growl as a sign that it's mealtime, but Harvard Health explains that noise from your belly doesn't necessarily mean you're hungry. Right after eating, the gut is busy pushing food along, and it makes noise then too. A more reliable sign of hunger is actually feeling hungry.

Doctors call these sounds borborygmi. The word comes from Greek and, like the Korean kkoreureuk, imitates the sound itself.

Harvard Health advises that eating a snack every time your stomach growls may do little to reduce the noise but much to increase your weight. Instead, try not to go too long between meals, and cut back on drinks such as soda that make you swallow a lot of air, so there is less gas in the gut. Before walking into a quiet exam room or meeting, eating a little something light can also help.

It's a different story, though, if the noise comes with severe pain, bloating, nausea, or diarrhea. Gut infections or blockages can also make the sounds louder, so in that case it's best to get checked by a doctor.