hunger
饉 centers on severe scarcity of food: hunger, especially famine-level hunger. It is a rare kanji used in classical contexts for extreme food shortage.
饉 combines the food radical 飠 with 堇, which likely provides the sound and may contribute a sense of scarcity or hardship. The exact historical development is uncertain.
The food radical 飠 beside 堇 suggests a situation where food is scarce. Imagine a time of famine when even the smallest morsel is precious.
For キン, picture a hungry person eyeing a can of food: can -> キン, but the can is empty, so hunger remains.
famine; crop failure
Kyōhō famine (1732)
great famine; severe famine
Great Tempo Famine
Tenpō famine (1833-1836); Tempo famine
Tenmei famine (1782-1787); Temmei famine
drought; water shortage
impoverishment of farmers because of a bumper harvest; decline in farmers' income caused by the sharply lower farm prices as a result of bumper harvests