Key Facts
- Hangul: 맛있다 (masitda)
- Meaning: delicious
- Level: A1
- Part of speech: adjective
- Stem: 맛있
- Conjugation class: regular
- Grammar: Takes 이/가 for the food that is delicious.
- Usage: Spoken pronunciation is 마싣따 or 마딛따; both are heard. Also say 맛있게 드세요 as a polite 'enjoy your meal'.
What Does 맛있다 Mean?
The thing that tastes good takes 이/가: 이 김치찌개는 정말 맛있어요. The same word covers a dish, a drink or a whole restaurant, as in 맛있는 식당.
A polite phrase tied to the word is 맛있게 드세요, 'enjoy your meal'. Its pair is 맛없다, the plain opposite.
Senses:
- delicious: Describes tasty food or drink, e.g. 맛있는 음식.
How Do You Pronounce 맛있다?
Two pronunciations are standard for the dictionary word: [마싣따] and [마딛따]. Article 15 of the standard pronunciation rules gives [마딛따] and also allows [마싣따], the more common one today. In the first, the ㅅ of 맛 links to the next syllable; in the second, the final ㅅ is pronounced as ㄷ first. The same split appears in the forms: 맛있어요 is [마시써요] or [마디써요], and 맛있습니다 is [마싣씀니다] or [마딛씀니다].
How Do You Use 맛있다 in a Sentence?
이 김치찌개는 정말 맛있어요.
This kimchi stew is really delicious.
이 김치찌개는 정말 맛있어요 is the standard compliment; 정말 adds 'really'.
어제 먹은 케이크가 맛있었어요.
The cake I ate yesterday was delicious.
어제 먹은 케이크가 맛있었어요 uses 먹은 as a modifier and 맛있었어요 as the past.
맛있는 식당을 알아요?
Do you know a delicious restaurant?
맛있는 식당을 알아요 asks for a recommendation. 맛있는 attaches to the noun and ends in 는, not 은.
How Does Masitda Conjugation Work?
맛있다 is regular. The stem 맛있 stays whole and 어 is chosen: 맛있어요, 맛있었어요. Because it ends in 있다, the modifier is 는: 맛있는, and the past modifier is 맛있었던.
맛있다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 맛있어요 | ||
| Polite past | 맛있었어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 맛있을 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 맛있겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 맛있습니다 | ||
| Formal past | 맛있었습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 맛있을 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 맛있어 | ||
| Casual past | 맛있었어 | ||
| Casual future | 맛있을 거야 | ||
| Honorific polite | 맛있으세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 맛있어서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 맛있으면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 맛있는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 맛있었던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 맛있을 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 맛있어요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 맛있지 않아요 |
For a word meaning 'delicious', -고 싶다 has no cell, because that ending attaches to action verbs.
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 맛있어요 | [마시써요 / 마디써요] |
| Polite past | 맛있었어요 | [마시써써요 / 마디써써요] |
| Polite future | 맛있을 거예요 | [마시쓸꺼예요 / 마디쓸꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 맛있겠어요 | [마싣께써요 / 마딛께써요] |
| Formal present | 맛있습니다 | [마싣씀니다 / 마딛씀니다] |
| Formal past | 맛있었습니다 | [마시썯씀니다 / 마디썯씀니다] |
| Formal future | 맛있을 것입니다 | [마시쓸꺼심니다 / 마디쓸꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 맛있었어 | [마시써써 / 마디써써] |
| Past modifier | 맛있었던 | [마시썯떤 / 마디썯떤] |
| Long negative | 맛있지 않아요 | [마싣찌 아나요 / 마딛찌 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 맛있은 음식
Correct: ✓ 맛있는 음식
Why: The 있다 ending makes the modifier 는, not 은.
Where Does 맛있다 Turn up in Daily Talk?
Say 맛있어요 right after the first bite, and 맛있게 드세요 when you serve someone. The word 멋있다 sounds close but means cool or stylish. For the opposite, 맛없다 is direct, and 달다 says what kind of taste you mean.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 맛있다?
| Word | How to tell it from 맛있다 |
|---|---|
| 맛없다 | 맛없다 is the plain opposite: not tasty. |
| 멋있다 | 멋있다 sounds close but means cool or stylish, not tasty. |
Thanking a Friend for a Meal
A guest has finished dinner at a friend's home. They compare tonight's dish with yesterday's lunch.
Guest
정말 맛있었어요.
Jeongmal masisseosseoyo.
It was really delicious.
Host
어제 먹은 음식도 맛있었어요?
Eoje meogeun eumsikdo masisseosseoyo?
Was the food you ate yesterday delicious too?
Guest
네. 하지만 이게 더 맛있어요.
Ne. Hajiman ige deo masisseoyo.
Yes. But this is even tastier.
Host
맛있는 케이크도 있어요.
Masinneun keikeudo isseoyo.
There’s some tasty cake too.
맛있었어요 evaluates a finished meal, 맛있어요 describes the food in the present comparison, and 맛있는 modifies 음식. 이게 means “this” as the subject, a shortened form of 이것이. 더 adds “more”: the guest is comparing the dishes rather than just repeating the same compliment.
Which Phrases Belong at the Table?
| Phrase | Meaning | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| 정말 맛있어요 | It is really delicious | Compliment the food while eating. |
| 맛있게 드세요 | Enjoy your meal | Say it to someone about to eat. |
| 맛있게 먹겠습니다 | I will enjoy the meal | Say it before eating food someone provides. |
| 맛있게 먹었습니다 | I enjoyed the meal | Thank someone after eating. |
맛있게 means “deliciously” in a literal translation, but English normally says “enjoy” in these meal expressions. In 맛있게 드세요, 드세요 is the respectful eating verb directed at the other diner. A server or host can use this phrase; it is not a description of the server's own meal.
The guest's 먹겠습니다 looks forward to the meal, while 먹었습니다 looks back after eating. Those endings belong to 먹다, not 맛있다. This is useful when you hear a familiar 맛있 sound at the beginning of a sentence but the whole expression is doing more than saying “delicious”.
잘 먹겠습니다 and 잘 먹었습니다 are also familiar meal expressions. The version with 맛있게 makes the enjoyment or good taste explicit. You do not need to claim a dish was extraordinary to thank the person who served it.
Where Will You Hear or See 맛있다?
At a restaurant, 맛있어요 can be a complete reply when someone asks about the dish. In reviews, 맛있었어요 often evaluates a completed visit, while 맛있는 describes a dish in a recommendation. Neither form tells you whether the flavour is sweet, salty or spicy; those descriptions need their own words.
Food packaging and advertisements may use 맛있는 before a product name. It is a positive taste claim, rather than an ingredient or nutrition label. A learner can recognize the compliment without treating it as information about what the product contains.
맛있는 식당 literally calls a restaurant “delicious”, but the intended meaning is that its food is good. English naturally translates the existing recommendation question as “Do you know a restaurant with good food?” A building itself has no taste; the description extends to what it serves.
What Is Tricky about 맛있는 and 맛있게?
맛있다 is an adjective, but its 있다 ending gives the noun modifier 맛있는. That is why 맛있는 음식 is correct even though many other adjectives take an 은/ㄴ modifier. The 있는 and 없는 modifier lesson explains this group alongside its negative counterpart.
맛있게 adds 게 to describe the manner of eating. Keep 맛있 together in spelling: 맛있어요 and 맛있게 are each one word. In 맛이 있어요, by contrast, 맛 is a separate noun with its own subject marker 이.
The similar-looking 멋있다 concerns an impressive or stylish appearance. A coat can be 멋있어요 and a cake can be 맛있어요. The first vowel distinguishes the compliments, so look for ㅏ in 맛 when the topic is flavour.
Food Words That Make the Compliment More Specific
| Korean | Meaning | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| 맛 | taste; flavour | The noun inside 맛있다. |
| 음식 | food; dish | The thing described in 맛있는 음식. |
| 달다 | sweet | Names a flavour rather than an overall judgment. |
| 맛집 | restaurant known for good food | Useful when looking for places to eat. |
The cooking and taste vocabulary lesson adds words for flavour and preparation. A dish can be both 달다 and 맛있다, but “sweet” alone does not tell you whether the speaker likes it.
Mini Drill: Compliment the Meal
- Give the polite present of 맛있다.
- Fill the gap: ____ 음식, “delicious food”.
- Give the polite past for a meal you finished.
- Change 맛있다 to its because-form.
Show drill answers
- 맛있어요.
- 맛있는 음식. The 있다 ending selects 는.
- 맛있었어요.
- 맛있어서: the good taste gives a reason for what follows.
Quick Self-Test
- Who is invited to eat in 맛있게 드세요?
- Does 맛있는 식당 mean you eat the building?
- Which word compliments flavour: 맛있다 or 멋있다?
Show answers
- The listener. A host or server commonly says it to a diner.
- No. It means a restaurant whose food tastes good.
- 맛있다. 멋있다 concerns being stylish or impressive.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Say "It Is Delicious"?
맛있어요. For emphasis: 이 김치찌개는 정말 맛있어요.
Which Pronunciation Is Right, [마싣따] or [마딛따]?
Both are standard. The pronunciation rules (Article 15) give [마딛따] and explicitly allow [마싣따], which is the more common one in everyday speech. Learners can use either.
Why Is It 맛있는 and Not 맛있은?
Words ending in 있다 take the 는 modifier.
Is 맛있다 the Same as 멋있다?
No. 멋있다 means cool or stylish. They differ by one vowel (ㅏ vs ㅓ) and mean different things.
Which Words Are Related to 맛있다?
The entries closest to 맛있다 (delicious) are 맛없다 (not tasty), 멋있다 (cool/stylish), 먹다 (to eat), 달다 (sweet).
What Should You Learn Next?
The opposite is 맛없다. 먹다 is the verb for eating, and 달다 names a taste. To see why 'delicious' takes the form 맛있어요, read how to conjugate the present tense; the Korean verb conjugator tests other stems, and the Korean verb dictionary lists the rest of the family.