miam
/mjam/
The French word for "yum" is miam.
miam is an interjection used to indicate delight at the flavor of food. In informal speech, it can also function as an adjective meaning "delicious", such as in the phrase C'est miam!
Meaning: indicating delight at the flavor of food (intj)
Which one should you use?
You may sometimes see the word doubled as miam miam, which is a common way to express the same sentiment, much like saying "yum yum" in English.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
/mjam/
Did you know?
- If a French person uses miam to describe a person instead of food, it can take on a strange, unintended sexual or predatory connotation regarding desire.
- The term miam is often paired with a specific gesture of rubbing the stomach, which is more culturally emphasized in France than in some English-speaking cultures.
- The spelling miam is purely phonetic and imitative of the sound of eating, meaning there is no formal historical root for the word in the French dictionary.
Examples in context
- Cette nourriture sent bon. Miam miam !That food smells good. Yum, yum.This sentence shows how to use miam to react to the smell of food.Tatoeba #2083543 by sacredceltic, translation #2082630 by halfb1t
- Miam !Yum yum!This sentence provides a simple, single-word exclamation using miam.Tatoeba #477381 by sacredceltic, translation #477382 by sacredceltic
- Miam, ce gâteau est excellent !Yum, this cake is excellent!
Example conversation
Gabriel and Emma are eating a homemade dessert at home.
- GabrielTu veux un peu de chocolat, Emma ?Do you want some chocolate, Emma?
- EmmaOui, merci ! Miam, c'est délicieux.Yes, thanks! Yum, it's delicious.
- GabrielJe suis content que tu aimes ça.I am happy that you like it.
- EmmaC'est vraiment très bon !It is really very good!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “yum” translations and entries miam, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries miam, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
