美味しそう
oishisō
The phrase "sounds delicious" in Japanese is 美味しそう (oishisō).
This phrase is used to express that food being described by someone else seems like it will taste good. You can add emphasis by using the colloquial term めっちゃ (very) to say めっちゃ美味しそうです or めっちゃおいしそう. To express high excitement or that something looks irresistibly tasty, you might use the slang term ヤバイ.
What does it mean word for word?
The suffix -sō is attached to the adjective stem to mean "looks like" or "seems."
Which one should you use?
You may also encounter うまそう in casual speech, where uma is used instead of oishi to mean "delicious".
How does it change in a sentence?
In polite speech, you can add desu ne to the end of the phrase to seek agreement from the listener.
How do you pronounce it?
oishisō
Did you know?
- While 美味しそう is a safe, polite choice, using the slang ヤバイ (yabai) to describe food can signal intense, almost overwhelming deliciousness in casual settings.
- In Japan, it is common to say 美味しそう before the food even arrives at the table to show appreciation for the chef's effort and the anticipation of the meal.
- In highly casual or masculine speech, the phrase うまそう (umasō) is often transformed into the more visceral, rough-sounding うめぇ (umee).
Examples in context
- 美味しそうですね。Oishisou desu ne.That sounds delicious.
- このケーキ、すごく美味しそう！Kono keeki, sugoku oishisou!This cake looks/sounds delicious!
- あそこのレストランの料理は美味しそうです。Asoko no resutoran no ryouri wa oishisou desu.The food at that restaurant sounds delicious.
Example conversation
Yota and Himari are talking about dinner plans.
- 陽葵 Himari今夜は手作りピザを作るね。Kon'ya wa tezukuri piza o tsukuru ne.I'm making homemade pizza tonight.
- 陽太 Yotaいいなあ。美味しそう！Ii nā. Oishisō!Lucky you. Sounds delicious!
- 陽葵 Himari陽太くんの分もたくさん作るよ。Yōta-kun no bun mo takusan tsukuru yo.I'll make plenty for you too, Yota.
- 陽太 Yotaありがとう。楽しみにしてるね。Arigatō. Tanoshimi ni shiteru ne.Thanks. I'm looking forward to it.
