Oishii is the Japanese word for ‘delicious’, explained

What does “oishii” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “oishii” often to mean ‘delicious’ in Japanese. Probably, many Japanese learners know this word as it is often used in Japanese textbooks. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I will explain 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”
• What does “oishii” literally mean in Japanese?
  • 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 meaning ‘delicious’ in Japanese. This can also mean ‘tasty’ or just ‘good (in taste)’.

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.

What does “oishii” literally mean in Japanese?

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 ‘taste’ in Japanese.

These two kanji characters tell us 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 visualize 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 say “this peach” in Japanese.
• momo – 桃 (もも) : a noun meaning ‘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 before “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 will explain 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 ‘apple’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.

This is a typical usage of “oishikunai”. When we want to say “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 say “that watermelon” in Japanese.
• suika – 西瓜 (すいか) : a noun meaning ‘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, this ba form 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 ‘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 meaning ‘delicious’ in Japanese. This can also mean ‘tasty’ or just ‘good (in taste)’. These two kanji characters literally mean a ‘beautiful taste’. This literal interpretation is not in line with the actual meanings, but still understandable, I think. If we could visualize 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.