-(으)ㅁ직하다

It says that something is worth doing or quite likely to happen, as in food that looks good to eat (먹음직하다) or an event that could plausibly happen (있음직하다).

추측·판단Guessing & judging

Han: 먹음직하다 is an adjective, so before a noun it takes -(으)ㄴ (먹음직한), not the verb modifier -는.

Examples

이 책은 대학생이라면 한 번쯤 읽어 봄직하다.This book is worth reading at least once if you are a university student.

형은 늘 침착해서 참 믿음직해요.My older brother is always calm, so he is really dependable.

식탁 위에 먹음직한 과일이 가득 놓여 있었다.The table was full of appetizing fruit.

영화에서나 있음직한 일이 실제로 일어났다.Something you would expect only in a movie actually happened.

Don’t mix up

-(으)ㅁ직하다vs-(으)ㄹ 만하다-(으)ㄹ 만하다 is the everyday choice and can also mean 'acceptable, not bad': 이 음식은 먹을 만해요 (it's okay to eat), while 먹음직해 보여요 means it looks delicious.-(으)ㅁ직하다vs-(으)ㄹ 법하다-(으)ㄹ 법하다 expresses only likelihood, never 'worth doing': 그럴 법한 이야기 (a plausible story) vs 들어 봄직한 이야기 (a story worth hearing).

How to build it

stem+-음직하다 (consonant-final stem)

stem+-ㅁ직하다 (vowel-final stem)

often -아/어 봄직하다

먹다 → 먹음직하다 → 먹음직한 빵; 읽어 보다 → 읽어 봄직하다

The result conjugates like an adjective: 먹음직하다, 먹음직해요, modifier 먹음직한. Forms like 먹음직한다 or 먹음직하는 are wrong.
It sounds bookish and is not freely productive. Besides fixed words like 믿음직하다 and 먹음직하다, it is mostly used with 있다 (있음직하다) and -아/어 보다 (가 봄직하다). In everyday speech -(으)ㄹ 만하다 is usually more natural.
먹음직하다 describes how food looks before eating (appetizing). To say food actually tasted good, use 맛있다.

Classic mistake

Wrong: ~~시장에 먹음직하는 사과가 많아요.~~

Right: 시장에 먹음직한 사과가 많아요.

먹음직하다 is an adjective, so before a noun it takes -(으)ㄴ (먹음직한), not the verb modifier -는.

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