とても美味しい
totemo oishii
The Japanese phrase for "very delicious" is とても美味しい (totemo oishii).
とても美味しい is used to describe food or drink that tastes extremely good. You can emphasize the intensity of the word 美味しい by lengthening the final syllable, making it Oishi-i! Among younger people, the expression Maji de oishii is also popular and means "seriously delicious".
What does it mean word for word?
とても means "very" or "extremely".
Which one should you use?
While とても美味しい is a standard way to express this, すごく美味しい acts as a more colloquial and casual way to say "super delicious".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
すごく美味しい is more informal and casual.
How do you pronounce it?
totemo oishii
Did you know?
- To express a level of deliciousness that exceeds とても, some speakers use the word ほっぺたが落ちる, which literally means 'one's cheeks are falling off'.
- In Japan, slurping noodles loudly while eating them is a way to signal that the food is 美味しい and to enhance the flavor by mixing in air.
- The word 美味しい was historically used to describe the 'taste' of something, but its kanji 美 literally means 'beautiful', linking aesthetic beauty to flavor.
Examples in context
- これはとても美味しいですよ。This is very delicious.Tatoeba #218557 by bunbuku, translation #12047469 by CK
- 私は去年名古屋で精進料理というとても美味しい料理を食べた。Last year in Nagoya I ate a very delicious dish called "Shoujin Ryouri".Tatoeba #539231 by nekouma, translation #539496 by tomkun01
- このケーキはとても美味しいです。Kono kēki wa totemo oishii desu.This cake is very delicious.
Example conversation
Hina and Ren are eating dinner at a restaurant.
- 陽葵 Himari蓮くん、このパスタはどう？Ren-kun, kono pasuta wa dō?Ren, how is this pasta?
- 蓮 Renはい、とても美味しいです！Hai, totemo oishii desu!Yes, it is very delicious!
- 陽葵 Himariよかった。ここのお店は有名なんだよ。Yokatta. Koko no omise wa yūmei nan da yo.I'm glad. This restaurant is famous.
- 蓮 Ren本当にいいお店を見つけたね。Hontō ni ii omise o mitsuketa ne.You really found a great place.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
