냠냠
nyamnyam[ɲa̠mɲa̠m]
The Korean way to say yum is 냠냠 (nyamnyam).
냠냠 is an onomatopoeic expression used to mimic the sound of chewing or eating something delicious.
Meaning: indicating delight at the flavor of food (intj)
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
냠냠 is highly informal and is mostly used in casual settings, such as when talking to children or in cute, stylized social media posts.
How do you pronounce it?
nyamnyam
Did you know?
- Depending on the sound, 냠냠 can change to 쩝쩝 to describe a louder, smacking sound. Unlike 냠냠, saying 쩝쩝 can be seen as rude or noisy eating.
- Korean has a vast system of 'mimetic words' called uiseong-eo and uitae-eo. While 냠냠 mimics sound, other words can describe the perceived texture of the food being eaten.
- In digital communication, Koreans often replace the word 'eating' with the emoji-like phrase 냠냠 to indicate they are currently having a meal.
Examples in context
- 맛있게 먹었어요?Did you eat well?
- 네, 정말 맛있습니다!Yes, it was really delicious!
- 이 음식 맛있어?Is this food delicious?
- 응, 맛있어!Yeah, it's yummy!
- 냠냠, 정말 맛있어요!nyamnyam, jeongmal masisseoyo!Yum, it's really delicious!
- 냠냠, 너무 달콤해요.nyamnyam, neomu dalkomhaeyo.Yum, it's so sweet.
Example conversation
Jihoon and Jieun are eating dessert at a cafe.
- 지훈 Ji-hun지은아, 이 초콜릿 어때?Jieun-a, i chokollit eo-ttae?Jieun, how is this chocolate?
- 지은 Ji-eun냠냠, 진짜 맛있다!nyamnyam, jinjja masitda!Yum, it's really tasty!
- 지훈 Ji-hun지은이 너도 많이 먹어.Jieun-i neodo mani meogeo.You eat a lot too, Jieun.
- 지은 Ji-eun응, 고마워 지훈아.eung, gomawo Jihoon-a.Yes, thanks Jihoon.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 냠냠, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
