How to Say What Do You Recommend in Korean (뭐가 맛있어요?)

What you'll learn

• Say 뭐가 맛있어요? aloud as [뭐가 마시써요], with the right sound changes.
• Choose between 뭐가 맛있어요?, 추천해 주세요 and 이 집 대표 메뉴가 뭐예요? for a server, a cook or a friend.
• Use the answers you will hear, such as 갈비가 제일 인기가 많아요 (the galbi is the most popular).
• Avoid 뭐가 좋아요?, which asks something wider than food.

Before you start: you need to read Hangul; romanization is shown as an aid and can be hidden. Time: about 8 minutes. Audio plays only when you press a button.

How Do You Say What Do You Recommend in Korean?

The most natural way to ask a server for advice is 뭐가 맛있어요?. It joins 뭐가 (what, as the subject) with 맛있어요 (it is tasty). Three polite forms cover most restaurant moments, and each one is in the table below.

The table lists the choices. The next section shows when each one fits.

What Are the Formal, Polite and Casual Ways to Say What Do You Recommend?

Korean changes the sentence ending to match the listener's age, status and closeness. These endings are called speech levels, and the guide to Korean speech levels explains them in full. In a restaurant you will almost always use the polite style, which ends in -요. With a friend, drop the ending: 뭐가 맛있어? (mwoga masisseo). In a very formal setting, such as a banquet host, the ending becomes 뭐가 맛있습니까? (mwoga masitseumnikka). Here are the three polite forms.

Polite: 뭐가 맛있어요? (mwoga masisseoyo)

뭐가 맛있어요? is the everyday question. 맛있다 (to be tasty) becomes 맛있어요 with the polite ending -어요, and 뭐가 puts the question word in front. Ask it when the menu is long and you want the staff to point you to one dish. Add 제일 (most) to make it sharper: 뭐가 제일 맛있어요? (what is the tastiest?).

Polite: 추천해 주세요 (chucheonhae juseyo)

추천해 주세요 is a request, not a question. 추천하다 means to recommend, and 주세요 (please give) turns it into "please recommend". It sounds a little warmer than 뭐가 맛있어요? because you ask for a personal pick. Use it when you cannot choose, or when you have a limit such as no spicy food.

Polite: 이 집 대표 메뉴가 뭐예요? (i jip daepyo menyuga mwoyeyo)

이 집 대표 메뉴가 뭐예요? asks for the signature dish. 이 집 (this place) means the restaurant, 대표 메뉴 means the representative or signature menu item, and 뭐예요 means "what is it". It fits a restaurant that is known for one thing, where the answer is usually obvious to the staff.

Three lines cover nearly every restaurant. Saying the main question cleanly is next.

How Do You Pronounce 뭐가 맛있어요?

뭐가 맛있어요? is written with six syllables and spoken as [뭐가 마시써요], mwoga masisseoyo. The spelling and the sound differ, so read it slowly once.

1. 뭐 (mwo): a short "mwuh"; the ㅓ part is open and not rounded
2. 가 (ga): "gah"
3. 맛 (ma-): the final ㅅ moves forward, so you say "ma"
4. 있 (-si-): the moved ㅅ lands here as "si", and the final ㅆ moves on
5. 어 (-sseo): the ㅆ lands here as a tense "sseo"
6. 요 (yo): "yoh"; the question word 뭐 already marks the question, so the end falls or rises and then falls

Sound Changes to Listen For

Two points from the National Institute of Korean Language Standard Pronunciation (표준 발음법) matter here, plus one note on tone.

• Double liaison in 맛있어요. The ㅅ of 맛 moves onto 있, and the ㅆ of 있 moves onto 어, so you hear [마시써요]. The standard rules also accept [마디써요] for this word, but [마시써요] is what most people say. See liaison (resyllabification).
• Tense ㅆ. Revised Romanization writes the tense sound as ss, masisseoyo, because the ㅆ is in the spelling.
• Question pitch. 뭐 is a question word, so 뭐가 맛있어요? usually ends with a fall or a rise-fall. A sharp rise would make 뭐 sound like "something": 뭐가 맛있어요? with a high final rise can mean "Is something tasty?".

With the sounds set, the next question is when to ask it.

When Should You Use 뭐가 맛있어요?, and When Should You Not?

Ask 뭐가 맛있어요? whenever you need guidance, and use 추천해 주세요 when you want a personal pick. The question is polite enough for any adult.

Situations Where It Fits

• A long menu. Ask 뭐가 맛있어요? and the staff will often point to one dish.
• A first visit. 처음 왔어요. 추천해 주세요. tells the server you need help.
• A specialist restaurant. Ask 이 집 대표 메뉴가 뭐예요? at a place named after one dish.
• A cafe counter. 뭐가 맛있어요? works for cakes and drinks too.

Situations to Avoid

• Using 뭐가 좋아요? It asks what is good or what you like in a wider sense, and a server may ask "good for what?".
• Asking a friend with the full polite form every time. 뭐가 맛있어? is lighter among friends.
• Asking while the server is carrying plates. Wait for a calmer moment, then use 저기요 (excuse me).

These choices are easier to feel in real exchanges, so here are three.

What Does What Do You Recommend Sound Like in a Real Conversation?

A restaurant exchange is short. The guest asks, the server names one dish, and the guest orders.

What to notice: the server answers with one dish, and 제일 (most) makes the pick clear.

What to notice: the staff repeat 맛있어요 in the answer, so you can echo it back.

What to notice: both friends drop -요, and 먹어 봐 (try eating it) is a friendly push.

Behind these lines sits some restaurant culture worth knowing.

What Should You Know about the Culture behind What Do You Recommend?

In Korea, many restaurants focus on one or two dishes, so asking for a recommendation is polite and common.

• Specialist restaurants. A restaurant named after one dish, such as a galbi house, expects most guests to order that dish.
• Menu labels. Menus often mark a dish as 추천 (recommended) or 대표 메뉴 (signature menu), so you may see the answer before you ask.
• Calling the owner. 사장님 (sajangnim) is a friendly way to address an owner, and 이모 (imo, aunt) is common in casual eateries.
• Asking is welcome. Staff usually take the question as interest in their food, not as a sign that you cannot read the menu.

An expert tip: 맛있다 describes taste, so 뭐가 맛있어요? is only for food and drink. If you want the most popular dish rather than the tastiest, ask 뭐가 제일 인기 있어요? (what is the most popular?). Servers often answer both questions with the same dish. This page covers asking for advice. Ordering, dietary requests and paying are on separate pages.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with What Do You Recommend in Korean?

Most mistakes come from choosing the wrong word for "good" or the wrong level.

Learners often translate "good" as 좋아요 every time. Korean separates 좋다 (good in general) from 맛있다 (tasty). Learn both together and the choice becomes easy.

Is It the Same as Recommend, Recommendation or What Is Good?

Partly. The short answers below cover the other ways people search for this phrase.

• Recommend in Korean: the verb is 추천하다 (chucheonhada), and the polite form is 추천해요. To say "I recommend this", use 이거 추천해요 (igeo chucheonhaeyo).
• Recommendation in Korean: the noun is 추천 (chucheon). A recommended dish is 추천 메뉴 (chucheon menyu).
• What is good in Korean: for food, ask 뭐가 맛있어요?. For a general "what is good?", use 뭐가 좋아요?.
• What's good in Korean: same answer. At a restaurant the food question is 뭐가 맛있어요?.

Reading the forms is one thing; producing them on cue is another, so practise now.

Practice: Say It Aloud

Play the slow clip of 뭐가 맛있어요?, repeat it three times, then choose a form for each situation. Answers follow.

1. You open a long menu in a grill restaurant.
2. You cannot choose and want the server's pick.
3. You are at a restaurant known for one stew.
4. Why does 맛있어요 sound like [마시써요]?

Answers

1. 뭐가 맛있어요?
2. 추천해 주세요.
3. 이 집 대표 메뉴가 뭐예요?
4. The ㅅ and the ㅆ each move onto the next syllable (liaison).

The phrase flashcards drill all three lines with audio.

Related Phrases to Learn Next

Asking for advice sits with the other ordering phrases.

• I'd like to order in Korean: the phrase for placing your order once you choose.
• Delicious in Korean: the word to say after the first bite.
• Not spicy please in Korean: a request that pairs well with 추천해 주세요.

This guide belongs to the korean restaurant phrases collection. What this page does not cover: ordering, dietary needs and paying. When in doubt, ask 뭐가 맛있어요? and you can say what do you recommend in Korean to almost anyone.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you say what do you recommend in Korean?

Say 뭐가 맛있어요? (mwoga masisseoyo). It means "what's good here?" and works with any server. For a direct request, say 추천해 주세요 (please recommend something). For the signature dish, ask 이 집 대표 메뉴가 뭐예요?.

How do you pronounce 뭐가 맛있어요?

It is [뭐가 마시써요]. The ㅅ of 맛 moves onto 있, and the ㅆ of 있 moves onto 어. Revised Romanization writes mwoga masisseoyo. Let the pitch fall or rise-fall at the end, because 뭐 already marks the question.

What is the difference between 뭐가 맛있어요? and 추천해 주세요?

뭐가 맛있어요? asks which dishes are tasty, and the server may name several. 추천해 주세요 asks for one personal pick. Use the first to learn about the menu and the second when you want the server to choose.

Can I use 뭐가 맛있어요? with friends, elders and strangers?

Yes with strangers and elders, because the -요 ending is polite. With close friends you can drop it and say 뭐가 맛있어?. In a very formal setting, 뭐가 맛있습니까? is possible but rare in restaurants.

What is the most common mistake with what do you recommend in Korean?

The most common mistake is using 뭐가 좋아요?, which asks what is good in general. For food, use 뭐가 맛있어요?. The second mistake is pronouncing 맛있어요 as separate syllables instead of [마시써요].

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