Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The base form 美味しそう is informal and suitable for friends or family. To make the phrase polite and appropriate for use with strangers, colleagues or superiors, add the copula です (desu) to the end to form 美味しそうです. For a formal way to say "that looks good", you can use それはよさそうですね. Additionally, きれいですね can be used as a formal way to say something looks good, specifically meaning "it's beautiful". In very informal settings, you might say すごくいいじゃん to mean "that's really good".
How does it change in a sentence?
You can make the phrase sound more natural and conversational when seeking agreement from others by adding the polite particle ね (ne) at the end, resulting in 美味しそうですね. If you want to use the phrase as an adverb to describe an action, such as eating, change the ending to そうに to get 美味しそうに.
How do you pronounce it?
oishisō
Did you know?
- While English speakers might say 'that looks good' to mean a person looks attractive, using 美味しそう for a person would be highly inappropriate and even offensive, as it implies the person looks edible.
- In some regional dialects, such as in Osaka, people might use 旨そう umasō instead of 美味しそう to express that something looks delicious in a more masculine or rugged way.
- If you are eating something that looks good and someone asks how it is, responding with 美味しそう can sound strange because you are describing an appearance rather than a realized taste. Instead, you should use 美味しい to confirm the food actually tastes as good as it looks.
Examples in context
- 美味しそうですね。Oishisou desu ne.That looks delicious.
- 美味しそう！Oishisou!Looks good!
- このケーキ、とても美味しそう。Kono keeki, totemo oishisou.This cake looks very delicious.
Example conversation
Two friends are looking at a menu in a cafe.
- 美咲 Misakiこのパスタ、美味しそう！Kono pasuta, oishisou!This pasta looks good!
- 陽太 Yota本当に美味しそうだね。Hontou ni oishisou da ne.It really looks delicious.
- 美咲 Misaki陽太君、何を注文する？Youta-kun, nani o chuumon suru?Youta, what are you going to order?
- 陽太 Yota僕はハンバーグにするよ。Boku wa hanbaagu ni suru yo.I'll have the hamburger steak.
