看起来很好吃
kàn qǐlái hěn hǎochī
The English phrase "it looks delicious" is translated into Chinese as 看起来很好吃 (kàn qǐlái hěn hǎochī).
A phrase used to say that food appears to taste good based on its appearance.
Which one should you use?
Use 看起来很好吃 (kàn qǐlái hěn hǎochī) to comment on appearance, but use 很好吃 (hěn hǎochī) to comment on the actual taste after eating.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Beijing, one can say 这菜看着挺好吃的。
How does it change in a sentence?
The adverb 很 (hěn) is often used before adjectives like 好吃 to act as a grammatical linker, even if the English translation doesn't strictly require 'very'.
How do you pronounce it?
kàn qǐlái hěn hǎochī
Did you know?
- The word 好 (hǎo) in 好吃 is a compound of 'woman' and 'child', which historically is thought to represent the concept of 'good' or 'well'.
- If you are describing a drink or a soup rather than solid food, you should change 好吃 (hǎochī) to 好喝 (hǎohē), which means 'good to drink'.
- Chinese has a specific term, 色香味 (sè xiāng wèi), referring to color, aroma and taste. To say something looks delicious is to praise the 色 (sè) or 'color' aspect of this culinary trinity.
Examples in context
- 看起来很美味。It looks very delicious.
- 看起来好吃极了！It looks incredibly delicious!
- 这盘菜看着让人垂涎三尺。This dish looks mouthwatering.
- 哇，看着好好吃。Wow, it looks so delicious.
- 这道红烧肉看起来色香味俱佳This braised pork looks visually appealing and has a great aroma and taste.
- 这个蛋糕看起来很好吃。Zhège dàngāo kàn qǐlái hěn hǎochī.This cake looks delicious.
- 妈妈做的菜看起来很好吃。Māma zuò de cài kàn qǐlái hěn hǎochī.The food Mom made looks delicious.
- 那个汉堡看起来很好吃。Nàge hànbǎo kàn qǐlái hěn hǎochī.That hamburger looks delicious.
Example conversation
Haoran and Jiayi are looking at a photo of a meal.
- 浩然 Haoran你看，这家餐厅的菜看起来很好吃。Nǐ kàn, zhè jiā cāntīng de cài kàn qǐlái hěn hǎochī.Look, the food at this restaurant looks delicious.
- 佳怡 Jiayi真的，我也这么觉得。Zhēnde, wǒ yě zhème juédé.Really, I think so too.
- 浩然 Haoran我们要不要周末去试试？Wǒmen yào bùyào zhōumò qù shìshì?Do you want to go try it this weekend?
- 佳怡 Jiayi好啊，浩然，我们一起去吧。Hǎo a, Hàorán, wǒmen yìqǐ qù ba.Sure, Haoran, let's go together.
