Lekker meaning: tasty, nice and the other things Dutch people mean

What does lekker mean? The dictionary's first answer is tasty — but in the Netherlands lekker is far more than a food word. Dutch people say it about the weather, a warm bath, a good night's sleep, a person they find attractive and, with a raised eyebrow, about things that are not nice at all. This guide gives the lekker meaning sense by sense from Wiktionary's Dutch entry, with the example sentences, the phrases built on it and recordings of the words around it. New to Dutch? Start with the free Dutch level test or our Dutch course.

Updated November 15, 2026 · 5 min read

Lekker meaning: the short answer

Lekker (said roughly LEK-ker, IPA /ˈlɛ.kər/) is an adjective and adverb. Its five senses in Wiktionary are: tasty; in the Netherlands, nice, pleasant, satisfying in general; colloquially, hot, sexy; in the Netherlands and mostly with not, well, in good health; and informally, sound of mind. You need the first two every day — the rest you will meet in conversation, on TV and in Dutch small talk.

1. Lekker = tasty

The original meaning is about food and drink. Wiktionary traces lekker to Middle Dutch lecker, from the verb lekken, to lick — so something lekker is, at heart, lick-your-lips good. German lecker, Afrikaans lekker, Swedish läcker and Danish lækker are its cousins. You will say it at every meal: Lekker! is the simplest compliment to the cook. Before the meal, the Dutch wish each other eet smakelijk — enjoy your meal.

A stronger word for delicious food is heerlijk — Wiktionary gives delicious, but also wonderful, great, lovely for a sensation, as in Het is toch heerlijk hier in de zon! (Isn't it lovely out here in the sun!). At a restaurant you can use both; our guide to Dutch for shopping and eating out has the phrases for ordering and paying, and the restaurant word list has the vocabulary.

2. Lekker = nice, pleasant, just right

In the Netherlands, lekker spreads to anything that feels good. Wiktionary marks this sense Netherlands: lekker weer (nice weather), lekker warm (pleasantly warm), lekker zwemmen (to go for a nice swim). As an adverb it adds a feeling of comfort to a verb, as in lekker zwemmen or slaap lekker. It is close to gezellig, but gezellig is about company and atmosphere, while lekker is about how something feels to you.

Slaap lekker — sleep well. Wiktionary lists slaap lekker among the phrases built on lekker — it is how Dutch speakers say sleep well, from slapen, to sleep. Our page on good night in Dutch has the other bedtime wishes.

3. Niet lekker: when you don't feel well

Mostly with niet, lekker means healthy, well: ik voel me niet lekker is the everyday way to say I don't feel well. Wiktionary's example: a teacher begon zich ook niet lekker te voelen — also began to feel unwell. It is the phrase to use when you call in sick or see the GP; our guide to Dutch at the doctor and the health word list take it further. The verb is voelen, to feel.

4. Lekker as a compliment about a person

Colloquially, lekker also means hot, sexy, attractive: Hij is zo'n lekker ding! (He's such a hottie!). It is informal and can sound crude, so keep it for friends. For words about people and relationships, see relationships and family.

5. Ironic lekker: lekker belangrijk

Wiktionary's usage note warns that lekker, especially as an adverb, is often ironic. Lekker belangrijk or lekker boeiend means not very important or not very interesting — roughly well, big deal. Lekker type is a not very pleasant person. The tone of voice gives it away; it fits the famous Dutch directness and the Dutch idioms you will hear at work.

Words and phrases built on lekker

• kiplekker — very healthy, very well, in excellent health
• lekkernij — a delicacy, a snack, a treat
• lekkers — sweets, treats; iets lekkers, something tasty — as in the Sinterklaas song line Wie zoet is krijgt lekkers (whoever is good gets treats)
• lekkerbek — a gourmand, someone who loves good food
• slaap lekker — sleep well
• lekker belangrijk — (ironic) not very important

Words like lekker and gezellig only become natural when you use them in conversation. If you want a teacher to practise with, Edluxio offers live one-to-one lessons with teachers and professionals in many fields, starting with a trial lesson that is fully refunded if it is not right for you.

Keep learning

• What does gezellig mean? · Dutch idioms
• Dutch greetings with audio · Thank you in Dutch · Cheers
• Dutch food words · Fruits · Greetings and social words
• Verbs: drinken · koken · ruiken · vinden
• Dutch vocabulary by topic · Dutch phrasebook · Dutch grammar
• Free Dutch resources · The inburgering exam · Luxembourgish vs Dutch
• Free Dutch level test · All guides

Recordings (Wikimedia Commons, MP3 versions): lekker — GerardM, CC BY-SA 3.0; eet smakelijk — Jcwf, CC BY-SA 4.0; heerlijk — GerardM, CC BY-SA 3.0; weer — GerardM, CC BY-SA 3.0; warm — GerardM, CC BY-SA 3.0; slapen — Marcel coenders, CC BY-SA 3.0; eten — GerardM, CC BY-SA 3.0; koffie — GerardM, CC BY-SA 3.0; zon — GerardM, CC BY-SA 3.0.