вку́сный
vkúsnyj
The Russian word for delicious is вку́сный (vkúsnyj). Wiktionary also lists ла́комый (lákomyj).
Meaning: pleasing to taste (adj)
Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| вку́сный | vkúsnyj |
| ла́комый | lákomyj |
The primary way to describe something that is pleasing to the taste is by using the adjective вку́сный. In many contexts, instead of using an adjective, Russians will use the adverbial form очень вку́сно to say that something is very delicious or very tasty.
Which one should you use?
While вку́сный describes the actual taste of food, ла́комый is often used metaphorically to describe something that is highly desirable or a choice morsel.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective вку́сный must agree in gender and number with the noun it describes. Use вку́сная for feminine nouns like еда (food), вку́сное for neuter nouns like блюдо (dish) and вку́сные for plural nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
vkúsnyj
Did you know?
- While an English speaker might say a person is 'delicious' to describe someone attractive, using вку́сный in Russian to describe a person is highly unconventional and can sound strangely literal or even slightly predatory.
- To emphasize that a dish is exceptionally delicious, Russians often use the word па́льчик (little finger) in the phrase па́льчики обли́жишь, which literally means 'you will lick your fingers'.
- The root of вку́сный is linked to the verb вкуша́ть, a very formal and archaic word for 'to eat' or 'to consume', which is still used today in religious contexts or high literature.
Example sentences for Russian are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Andrei and Anastasia are eating dinner together.
- Андрей AndreyАнастасия, этот салат очень вку́сный!Anastasiya, etot salat ochen' vkusnyy!Anastasia, this salad is very delicious!
- Анастасия AnastasiaСпасибо, Андрей. Я сама его сделала.Spasibo, Andrey. Ya sama ego sdelala.Thank you, Andrei. I made it myself.
- Андрей AndreyЧто ты добавила в него?Shto ty dobavila v nego?What did you add to it?
- Анастасия AnastasiaТолько немного лимона и масла.Tol'ko nemnogo limona i masla.Just a little lemon and oil.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “delicious” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
