うまい

う

ま

い

Common wordJLPTN4Freq.FrequencyTop 1,000

うまい · i-adjective

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	うまい	うまくない
Polite	うまいです	うまくないですalso うまくありません
Past polite	うまかったです	うまくなかったですalso うまくありませんでした
Past	うまかった	うまくなかった
Te-form	うまくて	うまくなくて
Adverbial	うまく
Conditional	うまければ	うまくなければ
Tara conditional	うまかったら	うまくなかったら

Meanings

i-adjective

skillful; good at; clever

usually written using kana alone

Describes a person's skill or the quality of a performance, trick, or expression. Often used with のが or のが上手い.

彼かれは料りょう理りがうまい。
He is good at cooking.
あの選せん手しゅは本ほん当とうにうまいね。
That player is really skilled, isn't he?

i-adjective

delicious; tasty; good (food)

usually written using kana alone

Casual and common way to say food or drink tastes good. Slightly masculine or informal compared to おいしい.

このラーメン、すごくうまい！
This ramen is really delicious!
今日きょうの魚さかなは特とくにうまい。
Today's fish is especially tasty.

i-adjective

good (deal, idea); profitable; lucky

usually written using kana alone

Used for favorable situations, good opportunities, or profitable outcomes. Often appears in set phrases like うまい話 (a deal too good to be true) or うまい具合に (luckily).

うまい話はなしには裏うらがある。
There's a catch to every good deal.
うまい具ぐ合あいに電でん車しゃがすぐ来きた。
Luckily, the train came right away.

See all 910 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈事こと〉がうまいto be good at (something)
彼かれはサッカーがうまい。
He's good at soccer.
うまい話はなしa deal or offer that sounds too good to be true
うまい話はなしには気きをつけたほうがいい。
You should be careful of deals that sound too good to be true.
〈動どう詞し〉のがうまいto be good at doing (verb)
彼かの女じょは歌うたうのがうまい。
She's good at singing.
うまい具ぐ合あいにluckily; as things happened to go well
うまい具ぐ合あいに電でん車しゃに間まに合あった。
Luckily, I made it in time for the train.

Kanji

上above, up
手hand
美beauty, beautiful
味flavor, taste
旨delicious, relish, show a liking for
巧adroit, skilled, ingenuity
甘sweet, coax, pamper

Related words

上手じょうずN5sense 1
上手 is a na-adjective meaning 'skillful' that sounds more formal and objective, while うまい is casual and can also describe taste or luck.
美味おいしいN5sense 2
おいしい is the standard, gender-neutral polite word for 'delicious', while うまい is more casual and often used by men or in informal speech.
いけるN2
うまい directly states that food tastes good, while いける is a softer, more casual way of saying something looks or seems appealing.

Opposites

下手へたN5sense 1
下手 means 'unskillful' or 'clumsy', the direct opposite of うまい when describing ability.
まずいN4sense 2
まずい means 'bad-tasting' or 'unappetizing', the direct opposite of うまい when describing food or drink.
下手へたくそ
上手い is a casual way to say someone is skilled or good at something, contrasting with the insulting 下手くそ.

Don't confuse with

甘あまいN5
甘い (あまい) and うまい sound similar but 甘い specifically means 'sweet', not 'delicious in general' or 'skillful'.
上手じょうずN5
上手 (じょうず, na-adjective) and 上手い (うまい, i-adjective) share the same kanji and a similar meaning of 'skillful', but 上手い also means 'delicious' and conjugates differently.
上うわ手てN1
上手 (うわて) is used in comparative expressions like 一枚上手 to mean 'one level above', while 上手い (うまい) is the everyday adjective simply meaning 'skillful' or 'delicious'.
旨うま味みN2
うまい is the adjective meaning 'delicious' or 'skillful,' while 旨味 is the related noun naming the quality of savoriness or appeal itself.

Word family

うまく
skillfully; well; cleverly · successfully; smoothly · deliciously
ヘタウマ
crude but charming; seemingly unskilled yet captivating

Written forms

うまいUsage78%
Usually written in kana; the most common and neutral spelling for all senses.
上手うまいUsage12%
Common kanji spelling for the 'skillful' sense, using 上手 (skillful).
美味うまいUsage4%
Common kanji spelling for the 'delicious' sense, using 美味 (delicious).
旨うまいUsage4%
Used for 'delicious' and 'good/profitable' senses; can also imply something is well-suited or favorable.
巧うまいUsage1%
Less common kanji for 'skillful', emphasizing cleverness or ingenuity.
ウマイUsage<1%
甘うまい
Rare kanji for 'delicious'; normally read あまい (sweet). Use with caution to avoid confusion.
美うまい
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form for 'delicious'.

Etymology

The modern adjective continues classical うまし, meaning “good” or “excellent”; its senses developed to include both tastiness and skillfulness. The kanji spellings are later meaning-based representations.