How to Say “Thank you for the meal” in Korean: 잘 먹겠습니다

잘 먹겠습니다

jal meokgetseumnida

Situation: Greetings & basicsLevel: Beginner (TOPIK 1–2)

Meaning

Thank you for the meal (before eating).

Said before eating to thank the person who cooked or paid for the meal.

Romanization follows the Revised Romanization system and is a guide to pronunciation.

Syllables: 6 · Words: 2

Said aloud, it sounds like [잘 먹껟씀니다].

Syllable	Letters (consonant + vowel + final)	Romanization
잘	ㅈ+ㅏ+ㄹ	jal
먹겠습니다
먹	ㅁ+ㅓ+ㄱ	meok
겠	ㄱ+ㅔ+ㅆ	[껟] get
습	ㅅ+ㅡ+ㅂ	[씀] seum
니	ㄴ+ㅣ	ni
다	ㄷ+ㅏ	da

Tensing: after a final ㄱ, ㄷ or ㅂ sound, ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅅ and ㅈ become tense (ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅆ, ㅉ). 먹겠습 → [먹껟씀]
Nasalization: a final ㄱ, ㄷ or ㅂ becomes ㅇ, ㄴ or ㅁ before ㄴ or ㅁ (and a ㄹ after ㅁ or ㅇ becomes ㄴ). 습니 → [슴니]

Style: Formal polite (합쇼체)Sentence type: Statement or set phrase

Ends in -ㅂ니다 or -습니다. The most formal polite style, used for announcements, presentations, business and first meetings.

Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.

Question 1 What does “잘 먹겠습니다” mean?

Show the answer

Answer: Thank you for the meal (before eating)

Question 2 How do you say “Thank you for the meal (before eating)” in Korean?

Show the answer

Answer: 잘 먹겠습니다 jal meokgetseumnida

Question 3 How is “잘 먹겠습니다” pronounced?

Show the answer

Answer: [잘 먹껟씀니다]

Learn this phrase by playing: typing drills and quizzes help it stick.