很好吃
hěn hǎo chī
Delicious
很好吃 (hěn hǎochī) is the most common and natural way to say "delicious" or "tastes good" when referring to food in Mandarin Chinese. It's suitable for almost any situation.
When to use it
Neutral and widely used. You can also just say 好吃 (hǎochī) for a more direct or enthusiastic "delicious," especially with friends or children. For a more formal or literary "delicious," especially in writing or advertising, use 美味 (měiwèi). If something is just "tasty" or "not bad," you can say 味道不错 (wèidào bùcuò).
How to pronounce it
Sounds roughly like “hun-HOW-chur.” The “很” (hěn) is a third tone, but when followed by another third tone “好” (hǎo), it often shifts to a rising tone, so it's pronounced “hén hǎochī.” The “吃” (chī) is a first tone.
Other ways to say it
- 好吃hǎo chīdelicious (direct/casual)
- 美味měi wèidelicious (formal/literary)
- 味道不错wèi dào bú cuòtastes good (lit. 'taste not bad')
Examples
这个菜很好吃。
zhè ge cài hěn hǎo chī 。
This dish is delicious.
你做的饭真好吃！
nǐ zuò de fàn zhēn hǎo chī ！
The meal you made is really delicious!
这家餐厅的甜点很美味。
zhè jiā cān tīng de tián diǎn hěn měi wèi 。
This restaurant's dessert is very delicious/tasty.
Pro tip: Although 很好吃 literally means "very good to eat," the 很 (hěn) here often just serves to make the phrase sound more natural and doesn't always imply "very, very." It's common to say 很好吃 even if something is just "good." Also, remember that 好吃 is only for food; for drinks, use 好喝 (hǎohē).
Related phrases
快乐 · Happy好 · Good
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