Which one should you use?
While 美味しかった focuses on the deliciousness of food or drink, other expressions may be used for general excellence. For example, すごい means "great," "awesome," or "amazing," and いいね is used to convey that something was "good" or "nice."
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
美味しかった is the casual version used with friends and family. For more formal or polite situations, you can use several different expressions. 申し分ありません is a polite phrase used to express that something was "flawless" or "faultless." For very formal contexts, すばらしいです means "that was wonderful" or "that was splendid," and 優れていました means "that was excellent" or "that was remarkable."
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the phrase 美味しかった polite and suitable for speaking to teachers, bosses or strangers, you can add です to the end, resulting in 美味しかったです.
How do you pronounce it?
oishikatta
Did you know?
- While 美味しい describes a pleasant taste, the word うまい can also mean 'skillful' or 'good at something' in a completely different context.
- In Japan, it is common to say ごちそうさまでした (gochisousama deshita) after eating, regardless of whether the food was tasty or not. This phrase thanks the host or the ingredients themselves for the meal.
- There is a distinct gender association with taste words, where うまい is traditionally perceived as more masculine and rough compared to the more neutral or feminine 美味しい.
Examples in context
- 昨晩のコンサートはすばらしかったです！Last night's concert was wonderful!
- あなたのプレゼンテーションは優れていました！Your presentation was excellent!
- あの映画、すごかった！That movie was amazing!
- 今日、試験が終わったから、良かった！I'm glad the exam is over today!
- 昨日のケーキは美味しかった。Kinō no kēki wa oishikatta.Yesterday's cake was good.
- このスープ、すごく美味しかった！Kono sūpu, sugoku oishikatta!This soup was really good!
- さっきのランチは美味しかったですね。Sakki no ranchi wa oishikatta desu ne.That lunch just now was good, wasn't it?
Example conversation
Two friends are finishing a meal at a cafe.
- 結衣 Yui陽太君、このパスタ美味しかった？Yōta-kun, kono pasuta oishikatta?Yōta, was this pasta good?
- 陽太 Yotaうん、すごく美味しかったよ。Un, sugoku oishikatta yo.Yeah, it was really good.
- 結衣 Yuiよかった！また来ようね。Yokatta! Mata koyō ne.I'm glad! Let's come again.
- 陽太 Yotaそうだね、また来よう。Sō da ne, mata koyō.You're right, let's come again.
