おいしそうだね (oishisō dane) is a phrase you’ll use almost every time food comes up in Japan. It means “That looks delicious!” or “That looks good!” — and understanding it teaches you one of the most useful grammar patterns in Japanese: 〜そう (〜sō).
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| おいしそうだね | おいしそうだね | That looks delicious, doesn’t it! |
| おいしそう！ | おいしそう！ | That looks so good! (exclamation) |
| おいしい | おいしい | It IS delicious (after tasting) |
The Grammar: い-adjective + そう
The key grammar here is 〜そう, which means “it looks like / it seems like.” To form it with an い-adjective, drop the final い and add そう:
- おいしい → おいしそう (looks delicious)
- たのしい → たのしそう (looks fun)
- むずかしい → むずかしそう (looks difficult)
- つめたい → つめたそう (looks cold)
Formation note: Remove the final い, then attach そう. This pattern is used to express what something appears to be based on visual or sensory evidence — before you’ve actually tried or confirmed it.
おいしそう vs おいしい — Before vs After
This is a key distinction for English speakers:
- おいしそう — “It looks delicious” (you haven’t eaten it yet)
- おいしい — “It IS delicious” (you’re eating it right now or just tasted it)
If you use おいしい while staring at food you haven’t touched yet, it sounds a bit odd in Japanese. Use おいしそう to describe appearance, おいしい for actual taste.
- このケーキ、おいしそう！— This cake looks delicious! (looking at it)
- このケーキ、おいしい！— This cake is delicious! (eating it)
Using おいしそうだね Naturally
The ね at the end invites agreement or shared feeling, like “…don’t you think?” or “…right?” It’s very natural in conversation.
- このラーメン、おいしそうだね！— This ramen looks great, doesn’t it!
- あのレストランのステーキ、おいしそうだね。— That restaurant’s steak looks delicious.
- 写真を見て、すごくおいしそうだと思った。— Looking at the photo, I thought it looked really good.
You can also drop だね entirely and just say おいしそう！ as a quick exclamation.
Natural Conversations
ねえ、見て！このパフェ、めちゃくちゃおいしそうだね！— Hey, look! This parfait looks incredibly delicious!
ほんとだ！食べてみたい。— You’re right! I want to try it.
このお弁当、手作り？おいしそうだね。— Is this bento homemade? It looks so good.
うん、今朝作ったよ。ありがとう！— Yeah, I made it this morning. Thank you!
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Saying おいしいそう instead of おいしそう.
❌ このケーキはおいしいそう。(This means “I heard this cake is delicious” — hearsay, not appearance!)
✅ このケーキはおいしそう。(This looks delicious)
The difference is subtle but important: おいしそう (drop い + そう) = looks delicious from appearance. おいしいそう / おいしいらしい = I heard it’s delicious (hearsay).
Quick Quiz
Fill in the blank — appearance (そう) or actual taste (い)?
1. 食べる前に：このスープ___だね！ (It looks delicious — before tasting)
2. 食べながら：このスープ___！ (It’s delicious — while eating)
Answers: 1. おいしそう 2. おいしい
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