料理はおいしいです
ryōri wa oishii desu
The English phrase 'the food is delicious' is expressed in Japanese as 料理はおいしいです (ryōri wa oishii desu).
This phrase is used to state that the taste of a meal is very good. While the phrase 料理はおいしいです (ryōri wa oishii desu) specifically refers to the 'cuisine' or 'dishes', in natural conversation, people often omit the subject and simply say おいしいです (oishii desu) while eating.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 料理 (ryōri) literally means cooking, cuisine or a dish, rather than just 'food' in a general sense. The word おいしい (oishii) is an i-adjective meaning delicious or tasty. です (desu) is a polite copula used to form a complete sentence.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The form おいしいです (oishii desu) is polite and suitable for dining with strangers or superiors. For a more casual way to say 'delicious', you can use the word うまい (umai), which is often considered masculine-coded. If you want to emphasize that something is 'very' delicious in a colloquial way, you can use めちゃめちゃ (mechamecha).
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the phrase informal, you can omit the です (desu) at the end and simply say おいしい (oishii).
How do you pronounce it?
ryōri wa oishii desu
Did you know?
- The word おいしい (oishii) can also be used to describe a 'profitable' or 'sweet' deal in a metaphorical sense. It is a common way to describe an advantageous situation in business or daily life.
- Using めちゃめちゃ (mechamecha) to mean 'very' comes from a word that originally described a state of total disorder or a mess.
- The word 料理 (ryōri) is composed of two characters meaning 'to manage' and 'material', reflecting the historical view of cooking as an organized process.
Examples in context
- ここの料理はおいしいです。Koko no ryōri wa oishii desu.The food here is delicious.
- 母の料理はおいしいです。Haha no ryōri wa oishii desu.My mother's cooking is delicious.
Example conversation
Hiyori and Daito are eating dinner at a restaurant.
- 陽葵 Himari大翔さん、この料理はおいしいです。Daito-san, kono ryouri wa oishii desu.Daito, this food is delicious.
- 大翔 Hiroto本当だね。とてもいい味だ。hontou da ne. totemo ii aji da.You're right. It tastes very good.
- 陽葵 Himariまたここに来たいです。mata koko ni kitai desu.I want to come here again.
- 大翔 Hiroto僕もそう思うよ。boku mo sou omou yo.I think so too.
