したい？
shitai?
In Japanese, "do you want to" is expressed as したい？ (shitai?)
The phrase is used to ask if someone has a desire to perform a particular activity.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The form したい？ is informal. It should only be used with friends, family or people of lower social status.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form したい is the desiderative form of the verb する (to do), which expresses the desire to perform an action.
How do you pronounce it?
shitai?
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using したいですか？ when asking about the desires of a superior or someone in a higher social position, as this can be seen as too direct or intrusive in Japanese culture.
Did you know?
- The word したい comes from the verb する, but in certain contexts, the phrase したい can be a pun or a double entendre because it is homophonous with phrases meaning 'to want to die'.
- The form したい is only used for the first person. To express that someone else wants to do something, you must use したがる or したいようだ.
- When expressing a desire to do something, Japanese speakers often attach the 〜たい suffix to the verb stem. This changes the verb into an adjective-like form, which is why the conjugation rules for 'wanting' often follow adjective patterns instead of standard verb patterns.
Examples in context
- 何がしたい？What do you want to do?This sentence is useful for asking what activity the person wants to do using したい？Tatoeba #188103 by bunbuku, translation #24759 by CK
- 休憩したい？Do you want to rest?This sentence is useful for asking if the person wants to rest using したい？Tatoeba #10183812 by bunbuku, translation #594680 by CK
- 共有したい？Do you want to share it?This sentence is useful for asking if the person wants to share something using したい？Tatoeba #10386401 by small_snow, translation #3333976 by CK
- ご希望はいかがですか、ディナーの予約をいたしましょうか？Do you want to make a dinner reservation?
- 映画行きたい？Do you want to go to the movies?
- ラーメン食べに行こう、どう？Let's go eat ramen, what do you think?
- 10 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are deciding what to do for lunch.
- 結衣 Yuiお昼に何がしたい？Ohiru ni nani ga shitai?What do you want to do for lunch?
- 健太 Kenta新しいカフェに行きたいな。Atarashii kafe ni ikitai na.I want to go to a new cafe.
- 結衣 Yuiいいね！一緒に歩いて行きたい？Ii ne! Issho ni aruite ikitai?That's nice! Do you want to walk there together?
- 健太 Kentaうん、そうしよう。Un, sou shiyou.Yeah, let's do that.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
