Ways to say it
| Turkish | IPA |
|---|---|
| nefis | /neˈfis/ |
| lezzetli | /lez.zetˈli/ |
| leziz | /leziz/ (from spelling rules) |
These terms are used to describe food that is tasty or delicious. If you want to say something is very yummy, you can add the word çok before lezzetli or nefis. For a sense of high praise, you might describe a dish like börek as muhteşem, which means magnificent.
Which one should you use?
lezzetli is the most common and neutral way to say something is tasty or delicious. In contrast, nefis is a stronger, more emphatic term used to express high praise for a meal. The form leziz is also available for this meaning.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective lezzetli does not change its form based on the gender or number of the noun it describes.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of nefis is /neˈfis/. The /n/ is like the [n] in not, the /f/ is like the [f] in food, the /i/ is like the [ee] in creek and the /s/ is like the [s] in send.
When do people say it?
When someone makes you a yummy meal, it is customary to say Ellerine sağlık to the cook, which translates to 'Health to your hands'.
Did you know?
- The word nefis is a homonym. While one meaning describes delicious food, the other refers to the human 'soul' or 'self'.
- Turkish speakers sometimes use the word efsane meaning 'legendary' as a slang alternative to nefis when food is exceptionally delicious.
- While lezzetli describes the taste of food, the word lezzet can also be used metaphorically to describe the 'pleasure' or 'zest' of a non-food experience.
Examples in context
- Bu gece yemek çok lezzetli.The food is very yummy tonight.This sentence is useful for practicing the form lezzetli.Tatoeba #4433293 by duran, translation #4430860 by ddnktr
- Krema ve şekerli kahve nefis.Coffee with cream and sugar is yummy.This sentence is useful for practicing the form nefis.Tatoeba #10000030 by SSibelty, translation #8741046 by Solana
- Onun gerçekten nefis tadı var.It tastes really yummy.Tatoeba #4524226 by duran, translation #4502546 by CK
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elif and Emre are eating at a small cafe.
- ElifBu kek gerçekten nefis.This cake is truly delicious.
- EmreBeğenmene çok sevindim Elif.I am so glad you liked it, Elif.
- ElifSen de denemelisin, Emre.You should try it too, Emre.
- EmreTamam, bir sonraki sefer mutlaka deneyeceğim.Okay, I will definitely try it next time.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “yummy” translations and entries nefis, lezzetli, leziz, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Turkish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries leziz, lezzetli, nefis, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
