If you want water, how do you say it in Japanese?
If you also want to do something, how do you say it in Japanese?
In this article, I teach you how to say I want ○○ in Japanese.
がほしいです
We use がほしいです when we want something.
Noun＋が＋ほしいです。
I want water.
However, we don’t say がほしいです for another person’s desire.
We don’t say that かれは みずが ほしいです。
Instead, I would say that かれは みずが ほしいみたいです, which literally means it seems he wants water.
ほしい Conjugation
がほしいです changes from the same way an イ adjective does.
If you don’t know what イ adjective is, please read this article.
Learning Japanese grammar-adjectives conjugation
| Plain form | ほしい |
| Polite form | ほしいです |
| Question form | ほしいですか |
| Negative form | ほしくないです or ほしくありません |
| Past tense | ほしかったです |
| Past tense of negative form | ほしくなかったです or ほしくありませんでした |
Note 1
ほしかったです is often used when I couldn’t get something which I wanted.
I wanted those clothes, but I couldn’t get it.
Note2
ほしくないです is a strong refusal, so please be careful to use it.
×いいえ、ほしくないです→○いいえ、けっこうです。
No, thank you.
Note3
When we ask someone if they want something, we don’t usually say ほしいですか to a higher ranking person.
For instance, you would like to ask your boss if they want coffee.
↓
しゃちょう、コーヒーはいかがですか。
たいです
We don’t use ほしいです with an action verb.
Instead, we use たいです.
ます form＋たいです
(ex)のみます→のみ→のみたいです
I want to drink coffee.
If you don’t know what ます form is, please read this article.
Japanese verb conjugation rule with chart
For objective, we use the particle が or を.
おすしが たべたいです。
Or おすしを たべたいです。
I want to eat sushi.
にほんごが べんきょうしたいです。
Or にほんごを べんきょうしたいです。
I want to study Japanese.
たい conjugation
たいです also changes from the same way an イ adjective does.
| Plain form | たい |
| Polite form | たいです |
| Question form | たいですか |
| Negative form | たくないです or たくありません |
| Past tense | たかったです |
| Past tense of negative form | たくなかったです or たくありませんでした |
Note1
たかったです is often used when I couldn’t do something that I wanted to.
I wanted to eat sushi, but I couldn’t.
Note2
たくないです is a strong refusal, so please be careful to use it.
×いいえ、たべたくないです。→○きょうは ちょっと…。
I can’t make it today.
Note3
when we ask someone if they want to do something, we don’t usually say たいですか to a higher ranking person.
For instance, you would like to ask your boss if he wants to drink coffee.
↓
しゃちょう、コーヒーはいかがですか。
テ form ＋ほしいです
When you want someone to do something, we don’t use たいです.
Instead, we use テ form ＋ほしいです。
ひとに＋テ form＋ほしいです
ひとに＋Vないで＋ほしいです
I want him to come to the party.
I don’t want you to tell this thing to anyone.
→Please don’t tell this thing to anyone.
If you don’t know what テ form is, please read this article.
Learning Japanese conjugation te form
Conclusion
Noun＋が＋ほしいです
I want water.
ます form＋たいです
I want to drink coffee.
ひとに＋テ form＋ほしいです
ひとに＋Vないで＋ほしいです
I want him to come to the party.
I don’t want you to tell this thing to anyone.
→Please don’t tell this thing to anyone.
There are conjugation rules, but one of the best ways to remember them is to use them in conversation.
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