How to say “Delicious” in Korean
- 맛있어요masisseoyo
It's delicious
"Delicious" in Korean is 맛있어요 (masisseoyo), the polite way to say a food tastes good. With friends you can drop the ending and just say 맛있어 (masisseo). It is one of the most useful words you can learn before a trip to Korea.
Ways to say it
| Korean | Level | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| 맛있어요 masisseoyo | Polite | The safe default for restaurant staff, hosts and anyone you don't know well. |
| 맛있어 masisseo | Casual | With friends, family or younger people. Say it with a question tone to ask "Is it good?" |
| 맛있다 masitda | Any | The plain form. People blurt it out to themselves right after the first bite, so it works in any company as an exclamation. |
| 맛있습니다 masitseumnida | Formal | Very polite and a little stiff. Good for complimenting a meal at a business dinner or on camera. |
| 존맛 jonmat | Casual | Slang for "super tasty". Common online and among young friends, but the first part comes from a vulgar word, so keep it away from elders. |
Examples
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Complimenting the food at a restaurant
Taking the first bite of street food
Asking a friend about their dish
Tips
The ㅆ at the end of 맛있 links into the next syllable, so 맛있어요 sounds like "ma-shi-sseo-yo". You will also hear "ma-di-sseo-yo", and both are accepted.
The opposite is 맛없어요 (madeopseoyo), "it doesn't taste good". Koreans rarely say this to a cook's face. If you didn't love something, a gentle 괜찮아요 (gwaenchanayo, "it's okay") is kinder.
Before a meal people say 잘 먹겠습니다 (jal meokgesseumnida) and after it 잘 먹었습니다 (jal meogeosseumnida). Adding 맛있었어요 (masisseosseoyo, "it was delicious") when you pay makes restaurant owners smile.
Questions learners ask
How do you pronounce 맛있어요?
Say "ma-shi-sseo-yo", with a slightly stronger ss sound. The romanization is masisseoyo.
How do you say "it was delicious" in Korean?
Use the past tense: 맛있었어요 (masisseosseoyo). It is a nice thing to say when you leave a restaurant or finish a meal someone cooked.
What does 존맛 mean?
존맛 (jonmat) is slang for "really, really tasty". It is very casual and a bit crude, so use it only with close friends.