Chinese phrases
How to say delicious in Chinese
Delicious in Chinese is 好吃 (hǎo chī) for food and 好喝 (hǎo hē) for drinks. They mean “good to eat” and “good to drink”.
好吃
delicious (food)
Ways to say delicious
好吃
Everydaydelicious; tasty
For any food, from street snacks to a banquet. Often 很好吃 or 真好吃.
太好吃了
Everydayso delicious
When you really mean it. The best thing to say to a cook.
好喝
Everydaydelicious (drinks)
For tea, coffee, juice, beer and soup. In Chinese, you drink soup.
好香
Everydayit smells so good
When a dish arrives or someone is cooking. 香 praises smell and taste together.
味道不错
Everydayit tastes good
Calm praise, for a new restaurant or a dish you are trying for the first time.
真香
With friendsso good
When food smells and tastes great. Online, it also means “I said I’d never like it, and now I love it”, after someone changes their mind.
美味
Writtendelicious; delicacy
On menus, packaging and adverts.
At someone’s home
A host checks that you like the food and keeps your bowl full.
味道怎么样
how does it taste?
The host asks. Answer 很好吃 or 太好吃了.
多吃点
eat some more
The host says it again and again. It is care, not an order.
我吃饱了
I’m full
The polite way to stop. Say it with 太好吃了 so the cook knows you enjoyed it.
Common mistakes
Saying 好吃 about a drink
吃 is to eat and 喝 is to drink. Coffee, tea, milk tea and soup are 好喝, not 好吃.
Saying 美味 at the table
美味 is mostly written, on menus and adverts. At the table it sounds stiff. Say 好吃 or 太好吃了.
Dinner at a friend’s home
味道怎么样？
Qiqi: How does it taste?
太好吃了！这是什么？
Leon: It’s delicious! What is it?
红烧肉，我妈妈做的。
Qiqi: Braised pork. My mum made it.
真香！
Leon: So good!
