Oishii is a Japanese word for ‘delicious’, explained

What does “oishii” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers use oishii often to mean ‘delicious’ in Japanese. Probably, many Japanese learners know this word as it is often used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I’m explaining this word in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’m explaining its major conjugations with example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners use oishii more properly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “oishii”
• Oishii in kanji
  • Example #1: how to say “delicious” in Japanese
• Oishikunai: the nai form of “oishii”
  • Example #2: how to say “not delicious” in Japanese
• Oishikatta: the ta form of “oishii”
  • Example #3: how to say “was delicious” in Japanese
• Oishikute: the te form of “oishii”
  • Example #4: how to say “delicious and” in Japanese
• Oishikereba: the ba form of “oishii”
  • Example #5: how to say “if delicious” in Japanese
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “oishii”

Let me start with the definition and meanings of oishii.

• oishii – 美味しい (おいしい) : an i-adjective used to mean ‘delicious’, ‘tasty’, or just ‘good (in taste)’ in Japanese.

Native speakers use this i-adjective to describe something delicious in Japanese. Indeed, they quite often use this when eating something delicious.

The definition and meanings are simple and clear. To understand this i-adjective more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.

Oishii in kanji

The kanji expression of oishii contains the following two kanji characters:

• 美 : a kanji character used to mean ‘beautiful’ in Japanese.
• 味 : a kanji character used to mean a ‘taste’ in Japanese.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that oishii literally means a ‘beautiful taste’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not in line with the actual meanings, but still understandable, I think. If we could see tastes, the colors of delicious things would be beautiful.

When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about the meanings of the expressions they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of oishii through the detailed kanji check above.

Then, let me explain how to use oishii through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to say “delicious” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kono – この : a determiner used before a noun which refers to something close to the speaker. In the example, this is used before momo to mean ‘this peach’ in Japanese.
• momo – 桃 (もも) : a noun meaning a ‘peach’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after kono momo to make the subject in the sentence.
• totemo – とても : an adverb of degree meaning ‘very’, ‘much’, ‘so’, or such in Japanese. In the example, this works in front of oishii to emphasize its meaning.

This is a typical usage of oishii. In this example, it works as the complement in the sentence. Like other adjectives, however, it can also work as a modifier in front of a noun. For example, we can say “oishii momo” to mean a ‘delicious peach’ in Japanese. It’s worth knowing.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of oishii in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentence. In the rest part of this blog post, I’m explaining its major conjugations. The first one is oishikunai.

Oishikunai: the nai form of “oishii”

Below are the definition and meanings of oishikunai.

• oishikunai – 美味しくない (おいしくない) : the nai form of oishii, which means ‘not delicious’, ‘not tasty’, or ‘not good (in taste)’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, oishikunai consists of the following two parts:

• oishiku – 美味しく (おいしく) : one conjugation of oishii. This can have a smooth connection with nai.
• nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this auxiliary verb is similar to that of not.

From these two parts, we can understand that oishikunai is literally the nai form of oishii and means ‘not delicious’, ‘not tasty’, or ‘not good (in taste)’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this nai form through the example sentence below.

Example #2: how to say “not delicious” in Japanese

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• ringo – 林檎 (りんご) : a noun meaning an ‘apple’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.

This is a typical usage of oishikunai. When we want to mean ‘not delicious’ in Japanese, this nai form is a very good option.

Oishikatta: the ta form of “oishii”

Below are the definition and meanings of oishikatta.

• oishikatta – 美味しかった (おいしかった) : the ta form of oishii, which means ‘was delicious’, ‘was tasty’, ‘was good (in taste)’, or such in Japanese.

Grammatically, oishikatta consists of the following two parts:

• oishikat – 美味しかっ (おいしかっ) : one conjugation of oishii. This can have a smooth connection with ta.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form.

From these two parts, we can understand that oishikatta is literally the ta form of oishii and means ‘was delicious’, ‘was tasty’, ‘was good (in taste)’, or such in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

Example #3: how to say “was delicious” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• ano – あの : a determiner used before a noun which refers to something not close to the speaker. In the example, this is used before suika to mean ‘that watermelon’ in Japanese.
• suika – 西瓜 (すいか) : a noun meaning a ‘watermelon’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of oishikatta. When we want to use the past tense form of oishii, this ta form is the best option.

Oishikute: the te form of “oishii”

Below are the definition and meanings of oishikute.

• oishikute – 美味しくて (おいしくて) : the te form of oishii, which means ‘delicious’, ‘tasty’, or ‘good (in taste)’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, oishikute consists of the following two parts:

• oishiku – 美味しく (おいしく) : one conjugation of oishii. This can have a smooth connection with te.
• te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form.

From these two parts, we can understand that oishikute is literally the te form of oishii. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, oishikute is very useful when we want to use oishii in front of another adjective or a verb. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #4: how to say “delicious and” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• tabemono – 食べ物 (たべもの) : a noun meaning ‘food’ or such in Japanese.
• yasui – 安い (やすい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘cheap’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of oishikute. In the example, it has the smooth connection with yasui. When we want to use oishii in front of another adjective like this, its te form is useful to make a smooth connection.

Oishikereba: the ba form of “oishii”

Lastly, let me explain the definition and meanings of oishikereba.

• oishikereba – 美味しければ (おいしければ) : the ba form of oishii, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘delicious’, ‘tasty’, or ‘good (in taste)’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, oishikereba consists of the following two parts:

• oishikere – 美味しけれ (おいしけれ) : one conjugation of oishii. This can have a smooth connection with ba.
• ba – ば : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its ba form.

From these two parts, we can understand that oishikereba is literally the ba form of oishii. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use oishikereba to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘delicious’, ‘tasty’, or ‘good (in taste)’. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #5: how to say “if delicious” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• ryouri – 料理 (りょうり) : a noun meaning a ‘dish’ or ‘cooking’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after kono ryouri to make the subject in the conditional clause.
• oshie – 教え (おしえ) : one conjugation of the verb, oshieru, which means ‘to teach’, ‘to tell’, ‘to let someone know’, or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• te – て : the same as used in oishikute. In this example, this is used after oshie to make its te form, oshie te. Verbs need to be changed to their te forms to be connected with kudasai.
• kudasai – ください : one conjugation of the verb, kudasaru, which means ‘to give’ or such in Japanese. When this follows a verb, however, this can work like an auxiliary verb to add the meaning of ‘please’. In the example, this works like an auxiliary verb after oshie te to add the meaning of ‘please’.

This is a typical usage of oishikereba. In the example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, kono ryouri ga oishikereba, which means ‘if this dish is delicious’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘delicious’, this ba form is very useful.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of oishii in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained its major conjugations with the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• oishii – 美味しい (おいしい) : an i-adjective used to mean ‘delicious’, ‘tasty’, or just ‘good (in taste)’ in Japanese. These two kanji characters literally mean a ‘beautiful taste’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not in line with the actual meanings, but still understandable, I think. If we could see tastes, the colors of delicious things would be beautiful.
• oishikunai – 美味しくない (おいしくない) : the nai form of oishii, which means ‘not delicious’, ‘not tasty’, or ‘not good (in taste)’ in Japanese.
• oishikatta – 美味しかった (おいしかった) : the ta form of oishii, which means ‘was delicious’, ‘was tasty’, ‘was good (in taste)’, or such in Japanese. This is the past tense form of oishii.
• oishikute – 美味しくて (おいしくて) : the te form of oishii, which means ‘delicious’, ‘tasty’, or ‘good (in taste)’ in Japanese. When we want to use oishii in front of another adjective, this te form is useful to make a smooth connection.
• oishikereba – 美味しければ (おいしければ) : the ba form of oishii, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘delicious’, ‘tasty’, or ‘good (in taste)’ in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.