How to Say “Delicious” in Korean

“Delicious” in Korean is something that you’ll be saying quite often in Korea. After all, one of the best things about being in Korea is the food. Whether you are at a barbecue restaurant or trying out some snacks from a stall on the street, you are sure to want to know how to say “it’s delicious” in Korean.

A boy raising both of his hands up while holding a fork and a knife with a meal in front of him

Ready? Here’s a quick rundown of how to say “delicious” in Korean so you can do just that!

We’ve included a FREE PDF version of this lesson you can take with you on the go. Check it out below:

The PDF above is an example of what’s in our free online Korean language guide. Let’s get to learning!

Different ways to say “delicious” in Korean

The word “delicious” is made up of the word 맛 (mat), meaning “taste,” and the verb 있다 (itda), which means “to exist.” These are combined to make the word 맛있다 (masitda), which literally means “taste exists” but actually means “delicious.”

Many other expressions in Korean use 있다 (itda) as well. For example, 재미있다 (jaemiitda) means “fun” and literally means “fun exists.” The good news is if you learn how to use one 있다 (itda) expression, you can use them all!

The opposite of 있다 (itda) is 없다 (eopda), which means “to not exist.” If you want to say, “This food is disgusting,” then you can say 맛없다 (mat eopda).

If you are talking to yourself (which is always fun), then you can say 맛있다 (masitda) when you want to say “delicious.” However, if talking to somebody else, don’t forget your manners! You should always remember to use the correct level of politeness. Let’s talk formality levels!

Here’s also a video that will teach you how to say “delicious” in Korean.

How to Say DELICIOUS in Korean | 90 Day Korean

Formal “Delicious” in Korean

The formal word for “delicious” in Korean is 맛있습니다 (masitseumnida). You might hear this word in a presentation about food, in an interview, or in an announcement.

How to Say Delicious in Korean formal

Example:

그것은 물론 맛있습니다 (geugeoseun mullon masitseumnida)

It’s delicious, of course.

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Standard “Delicious” in Korean

The standard version for “delicious” in Korean is 맛있어요 (masisseoyo). You can use this expression when talking to people who are older or not particularly close to you.

How to Say Delicious in Korean standard

Example:

다음 날에 먹으면 더 맛있어요 (daeum nare meogeumyeon deo masisseoyo)

They’re much more delicious if eaten the next day.

그것은 매우 달고 맛있어요 (geugeoseun maeu dalgo masisseoyo)

It’s very sweet and delicious.

Informal “Delicious” in Korean

Lastly, you can say “delicious” in Korean in an informal way as 맛있어 (masisseo). You can use this expression with people who are very close to you, such as with your girlfriend or date.

How to Say Delicious in Korean informal

Example:

정말 맛있어! (jeongmal masisseo)

Really delicious!

Other ways to say “delicious” in Korean

If you want to say “delicious” to describe something, as in “a delicious apple,” then you should use the word 맛있는 (masinneun). This is the adjective form!

Example:

맛있는 바나나 (masinneun banana)

delicious banana

맛있는 점심 (masinneun jeomsim)

delicious lunch

저는 맛있는 피자를 주문 할거예요 (jeoneun masinneun pijareul jumun halgeoyeyo)

I will order a delicious pizza.

A Word of Caution About Romanization

We’ve added in the romanization for all of these words to help with pronunciation. However, we recommend that you try to move on to reading comfortably in Hangul (the Korean alphabet), as this will improve your pronunciation and your reading skills. It will also help you notice patterns in words, which will lead you to improve the rate at which you learn new Korean words and grammar points.

You can download a free guide to learn the Korean alphabet in about an hour here.

Learning vocabulary words is a great way to help you learn the basics of a language, but your language learning will only really take off once you start attempting to have conversations in Korean. Take a look at our free list of Korean phrases or our full Korean course for all the help you will need when studying Korean.

Wrap Up

Well, that does it for this lesson! Now that you know how to say “it’s delicious” in Korean, be sure to tell your local restaurant how great their food is!

Leave a comment below with the most delicious Korean food you know (and try and do it in Korean if you can).

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23 thoughts on “How to Say “Delicious” in Korean”

  1. If someone was eating something and you wanted to ask “Does it taste good/delicious?” How would you say it?

  2. i found a word meaning taste, sweets, delicious, the word is 미미의. can i use it as catchy name for my dessert?

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