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Say it in Chinese

How to say delicious in Chinese

Updated

Delicious in Chinese is 好hǎo吃chī. It means “good to eat”. For drinks, say 好hǎo喝hē (good to drink). Cooks and hosts often ask 好hǎo吃chī吗ma (is it tasty)? while you eat. 好hǎo吃chī is the answer they hope for.

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The phrase

好吃 (hǎo chī) Tasty

What it means

好hǎo吃chī means “tasty” or “delicious”. 好hǎo is “good” and 吃chī is “eat”. Use it for any food, from a street snack to a home-cooked meal.

Chinese uses a different word for each kind of “nice”:

  • Food is 好hǎo吃chī (good to eat).
  • Drinks are 好hǎo喝hē (good to drink).
  • Something nice to look at is 好hǎo看kàn (good to look at).

How to say it

Say hǎo chī. hǎo dips low. chī is high and level.

ch is close to the “ch” in “church”, with the tongue curled back a little.

The pinyin shows how people really say it, the same as in the game.

When to use it

  1. When someone asks if it is tasty

    Cooks and hosts ask 好hǎo吃chī吗ma? while you eat. Answer 好hǎo吃chī. 很hěn好hǎo吃chī (very tasty) or 真zhēn好hǎo吃chī (really tasty) sounds warmer.

  2. At a family meal

    Saying the food is good is part of being a guest. Hosts often answer by putting more food in your bowl.

  3. About a drink

    For tea, coffee, soy milk or beer, say 好hǎo喝hē. A host who poured your tea will be pleased.

Other ways to say it

Stronger and opposite versions, all from the game.

  • 很好吃 (hěn hǎo chī) Very tasty

    A little more than 好hǎo吃chī. A good answer when a driver asks if you like Chinese food.

  • 真好吃！ (zhēn hǎo chī!) Really tasty!

    It sounds more natural right after the first bite.

  • 好喝 (hǎo hē) Tasty

    Use it for drinks: tea, coffee, soy milk, beer.

  • 不好吃 (bù hǎo chī) Not tasty

    It is blunt and can hurt the cook. Most people do not say it to the person who made the food.

What people say back

  • 好吃 (hǎo chī) Tasty

    The noodle shop owner asks 好hǎo吃chī吗ma? while you eat.

    They may say 好吃就好！ (hǎo chī jiù hǎo!) If it's tasty, that's good! (She is happy.)
  • 不好吃 (bù hǎo chī) Not tasty

    Same question, different answer.

    They may say 啊？不好吃啊…… (á? bù hǎo chī a……) Huh? Not tasty…? (She looks hurt.)
  • 其实很好吃 (qí shí hěn hǎo chī) In fact, it’s very tasty

    You change your mind after saying it was not good.

    They may say 哎哟，吓死我了！好吃就多吃点！ (āi yō, xià sǐ wǒ le! hǎo chī jiù duō chī diǎn!) Oh! You scared me to death! If it's tasty, eat more!
  • 很好吃 (hěn hǎo chī) Very tasty

    A driver asks if you like Chinese food.

    They may say 好吃吧？朋友家的菜更好吃！ (hǎo chī ba? péng you jiā de cài gèng hǎo chī!) Tasty, right? Food at a friend’s home is even tastier!

Common mistakes

  • Using the food word for drinks

    好hǎo吃chī is only for food. For tea, coffee or beer, say 好hǎo喝hē.

  • Telling the cook it is not good

    Saying 不bù好hǎo吃chī to the person who made the food is blunt, as it is in English. In the game the noodle shop owner is clearly hurt.

  • Expecting the meal to end

    At a family table, saying 好hǎo吃chī often gets you more food. When you have had enough, say 吃chī饱bǎo了le (I’m full).

Where it comes up in the game

  • The noodle shop

    The owner asks 好hǎo吃chī吗ma? while you eat your beef noodles. Say 好hǎo吃chī and she is pleased. Say 不bù好hǎo吃chī and she is hurt. You can then take it back with 其qí实shí很hěn好hǎo吃chī (in fact, it’s very tasty), and she is relieved, or say it really is not good. Then she asks about your drink. You answer 好hǎo喝hē or 不bù好hǎo喝hē (not tasty).

  • Breakfast and the night market

    You say 好hǎo吃chī after your first breakfast at a street stall. At the night market a friend asks 好hǎo吃chī吗ma? about the stinky tofu you just tried.

  • Lunch with a family

    You learn 真zhēn好hǎo吃chī at a home-cooked dumpling lunch. The grandmother answers 好hǎo吃chī就jiù好hǎo (good, as long as it’s tasty)! and keeps serving.

Questions

How do you say delicious in Chinese?

Delicious in Chinese is 好hǎo吃chī. It means “good to eat”. Stronger versions are 很hěn好hǎo吃chī (very tasty) and 真zhēn好hǎo吃chī (really tasty).

How do you say a drink is good in Chinese?

For drinks, say 好hǎo喝hē. It means “good to drink”. 好hǎo吃chī is only for food.

What does 好吃吗 mean?

好hǎo吃chī吗ma? means “is it tasty?”. Cooks, hosts and friends ask it while you eat. The usual answer is 好hǎo吃chī (tasty).

How do you say not tasty in Chinese?

Not tasty in Chinese is 不bù好hǎo吃chī. It is blunt, so most people do not say it to the person who cooked.

Why do Chinese hosts keep asking if the food is good?

Chinese hosts ask 好hǎo吃chī吗ma (is it tasty)? to look after their guest. If you say yes, they usually offer you more food.

Does 好 change its tone in 好吃?

好hǎo keeps its own tone in 好hǎo吃chī. It would only change before another dipping tone, and chī is high and level.