Nuance Dictionary / Social Situations
잘 먹겠습니다 Jal meokgesseumnida
The mandatory baseline utterance before eating, functioning less as literal gratitude and more as a social cue that the meal is officially beginning.
What does 잘 먹겠습니다 mean?
잘 먹겠습니다 (Jal meokgesseumnida) means: The mandatory baseline utterance before eating, functioning less as literal gratitude and more as a social cue that the meal is officially beginning.
Speakers say this phrase before beginning a meal, typically directed at whoever prepared or provided the food. It is used in formal polite situations with the ending -습니다. People say it while seated at a table right before picking up utensils to eat.
Depending on the company, this can feel like an automatic politeness ritual rather than a deep expression of gratitude, marking the mutual agreement that the meal has officially started.
Depending on the company, this can feel like an automatic politeness ritual rather than a deep expression of gratitude, marking the mutual agreement that the meal has officially started.
Other sides of 잘 먹겠습니다
◆ The Indirect Favor Acceptor — Speakers sometimes use this phrase playfully when receiving items, money, or favors that are not food. By applying a meal-acceptance formula to unrelated bounty, speakers frame the receipt as a welcome treat.
This usage can feel warm and humorous, turning a transaction or favor into a shared joke about hospitality.
This usage can feel warm and humorous, turning a transaction or favor into a shared joke about hospitality.
🎙️ 잘 먹겠습니다는 표기 그대로 읽지 않아요 — 실제로는 [잘 먹껟씀니다]로 소리나요 (경음화, 받침규칙, 비음화). 발음 연습하기 →
How it's actually used
- 잘 먹겠습니다.
jal meok-ges-seumnida
I will eat well / Thank you for the meal.
💡 Said aloud before starting a meal. - 음식이 식기 전에 잘 먹겠습니다.
eum-sig-i sik-gi jeon-e jal meok-ges-seumnida
I will enjoy the meal before the food gets cold.
💡 Said when sitting down to eat prepared food. - 차려주신 밥상, 잘 먹겠습니다.
charyeo-jusin bap-sang, jal meok-ges-seumnida
Thank you for the spread, I will eat well.
💡 Said in acknowledgment of someone's cooking.
Related words in Social Situations
적반하장 jeok-ban-ha-jang적당히 jeokdanghi정신차려 jeong-sin-cha-ryeo정신을 차리다 jeongsineul charida정신이 없다 jeongsini eopda