コーヒーが飲みたい
kōhī ga nomitai
In Japanese, "I want coffee" is expressed as コーヒーが飲みたい (kōhī ga nomitai).
The phrase is used to express a personal desire to drink coffee. While コーヒーが飲みたい expresses a desire, コーヒーをください is the more natural way to actually order coffee in a cafe.
Which one should you use?
The phrase コーヒー means "coffee". To express wanting the drink itself, you can use コーヒーが欲しい or コーヒーがほしいんだ in informal settings.
How does it change in a sentence?
The particle が (ga) is used to indicate the object of the desire, but you can also use the particle を (o) instead, as in コーヒーを飲みたい.
How do you pronounce it?
kōhī ga nomitai
Did you know?
- The word コーヒー is a loanword from Dutch, not English, reflecting the historical trade routes that first brought coffee to Japan.
- In Japanese, the subject 'I' is often omitted entirely in the phrase コーヒーが飲みたい. Adding 'watashi wa' (I) at the beginning can actually make the sentence sound repetitive or overly emphatic in a natural conversation.
- In Japan, asking for 'coffee' in a traditional cafe might result in 'kissaten' style coffee, which is brewed more slowly and served in a porcelain cup rather than a paper cup.
Examples in context
- コーヒーが飲みたいです。kōhī ga nomitai desu.I want to drink coffee.
- 今はコーヒーが飲みたい。ima wa kōhī ga nomitai.I want to drink coffee right now.
- 急にコーヒーが飲みたい。kyū ni kōhī ga nomitai.I suddenly want to drink coffee.
Example conversation
A couple is relaxing at home on a weekend afternoon.
- 陽葵 Himari健太、コーヒーが飲みたい。Kenta, kōhī ga nomitai.Kenta, I want to drink coffee.
- 健太 Kentaいいよ、淹れてくるね。ii yo, irete kuru ne.Sure, I'll go make some.
- 陽葵 Himariありがとう。助かるわ。arigatō. tasukaru wa.Thank you. That helps.
- 健太 Kenta砂糖は入れる？satō wa ireru?Do you want sugar?
