What's the difference between 밥맛이 없다 and 밥맛없다?

ANSWER: One means you are not hungry; the other means you can't stand someone.

밥 means "boiled rice" or "food," and 맛 means "taste," so 밥맛 literally means "food taste." That means 밥맛이 있다 literally means "The food tastes good," and 밥맛이 없다 literally means "The food tastes bad," which usually translates as "I'm not hungry," or "I have no appetite."

Even though the subject marker (이 or 가) is often dropped in spoken Korean, you should keep the 이 and say "밥맛이 없다" when you want to say, "I'm not hungry," because 밥맛없다, without the 이, means you do not like someone and do not want to associate with him or her. For example, if a girlfriend is trying to set you up with a guy you do not like, you could say, "그 남자가 밥맛없다," which can translate as "I can't stand that guy." However, if you were to say, "그 남자가 밥맛이 없대," then you would be saying, "He said he is not hungry."

In the United States, when we are eating and then see something so disgusting that it causes us not to want to eat anymore, we sometimes say, "I just lost my appetite." Also, if we are eating and someone at the dinner table does or says something we do not like, we sometimes show our displeasure by saying, "I've just lost my appetite," and then get up and leave the table. The Korean expression 밥맛없다 is also used to express one's displeasure.