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How to Say “It’s delicious” in Korean: 맛있어요 (masisseoyo)

맛있어요

masisseoyo

Situation: Dining out & orderingLevel: Starter (just learning Hangul)

Meaning

It’s delicious.

Usage note

Telling the staff this while eating makes them happy. Add 정말 (“really”) for emphasis.

Romanization follows the Revised Romanization system and is a guide to pronunciation.

Practical guide

When to use it

Say it while you eat, or when the staff or your host ask how the food is. Telling the cook that the food is good is always welcome and easy to understand.

Watch out

Add 정말 or 진짜 for “really delicious”. When you finish, say 잘 먹었습니다. 맛있어요 is polite; with close friends you can drop the 요 and say 맛있어.

In a conversation

맛있게 드세요 masitge deuseyo
Enjoy your meal.
맛있어요 masisseoyo
It’s delicious.
감사합니다 gamsahamnida
Thank you.

How to pronounce it

Syllables: 4 · Words: 1

Said aloud, it sounds like [마시써요].

Syllable	Letters (consonant + vowel + final)	Romanization
맛	ㅁ+ㅏ+ㅅ	[마] ma
있	ㅇ+ㅣ+ㅆ	[시] si
어	ㅇ+ㅓ	[써] sseo
요	ㅇ+ㅛ	yo

A ㅇ at the start of a syllable is silent; at the end of a syllable it sounds like “ng”.

Sound changes in this phrase

Linking: when a syllable ending in a consonant (patchim) is followed by a syllable that starts with a vowel, the consonant moves over to the next syllable. 맛있어 → [마시써]