美味しい
oishii[o̞iɕii]
oishii is the Japanese way to say delicious.
For example, you can say 美味しいですね to say "It's delicious, isn't it?", which is a common way to seek agreement from your dining companion.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
うまい is a more casual, often masculine-coded alternative used to express that food tastes good.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express that a meal was delicious in the past tense, use the polite past form 美味しかったです.
How do you pronounce it?
oishii
Did you know?
- If you find something extremely delicious, you can add めちゃくちゃ before 美味しい to say it is 'insanely' delicious in a very casual way.
- The word 美味しい was once part of 女房詞, a specialized vocabulary used primarily by women in the imperial court to speak subtly or elegantly.
- While oishii refers to taste, the word umai can also mean 'skillful' or 'clever' when describing a person's performance.
Examples in context
- このケーキはおいしいですよ (Kono keeki wa oishii desu yo)This cake is delicious, you know.
- そうですか？私も食べてみますね (Sou desu ka? Watashi mo tabete mimasu ne)Is that so? I'll try it too!
- このお寿司はおいしいですか？ (Kono o-sushi wa oishii desu ka?)Is this sushi delicious?
- このスープはとても美味しいです。Kono suupu wa totemo oishii desu.This soup is very delicious.
- 母の作った料理は美味しい。Haha no tsukutta ryouri wa oishii.My mother's cooking is delicious.
- 美味しいケーキを食べたいです。Oishii keeki o tabetai desu.I want to eat delicious cake.
Example conversation
Yui and Ren are eating lunch together.
- 結衣 Yui航っと、このパスタ美味しいね！Ren-kun, kono pasuta oishii ne!Ren, this pasta is delicious!
- 蓮 Ren本当だ。すごく美味しい。Hontô da. Sugoku oishii.You're right. It's very delicious.
- 結衣 Yuiまたここに来たいな。Mata koko ni kitai na.I want to come here again.
- 蓮 Ren僕も賛成だよ。Boku mo sansei dayo.I agree too.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 美味しい, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 美味しい, CC BY-SA 4.0.
