What does it mean word for word?
牛乳 (gyūnyū) is the word for milk and literally means cow milk. が (ga) marks the thing you want. 飲みたい (nomitai) means want to drink.
Which one should you use?
nomitai means want to drink, while hoshii expresses wanting the milk itself as an object, as in 牛乳が欲しい. You will also hear the loanword ミルク for milk, especially for milk added to coffee or tea.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
牛乳が飲みたい is casual. Adding desu gives 牛乳が飲みたいです, which is polite and suitable for strangers or superiors. When asking someone to give you milk, a formal request asks whether you could receive some instead of saying you want it.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Kansai region, a casual request for milk can end with the Kansai ending んやけど, which softens it like saying I'd like some milk, though.
How does it change in a sentence?
nomitai is the want to form of the verb nomu, to drink. In this pattern, a noun followed by ga and a verb with the want to ending, the particle ga marks the object of the desire.
How do you pronounce it?
It is pronounced gyūnyū ga nomitai. Both ū sounds are long, so hold them a little longer than a short u.
Did you know?
- In Japan, milk is often sold in glass bottles with a specific design to indicate it is 'school milk', a program that provides milk to students to ensure nutritional balance.
- The word 牛乳 (gyūnyū) literally specifies 'cow milk', as other types of milk, such as soy milk, are categorized entirely differently as 豆乳 (tōnyū).
- In the Kansai region, adding んやけど (n yakedo) to the end of your request can make your desire sound much softer and less demanding to a listener.
Examples in context
- ミルクをください。Please give me (some) milk.
- ミルクを[一杯]{いっぱい}お[願]{ねが}いします。A serving of milk, please.
- 牛乳が飲みたいです。gyuunyuu ga nomitai desu.I want to drink milk.
- 今、牛乳が飲みたい。ima, gyuunyuu ga nomitai.I want to drink milk right now.
- 子供は牛乳が飲みたいと言っています。kodomo wa gyuunyuu ga nomitai to itte imasu.The child is saying they want to drink milk.
Example conversation
Youta and Himari are talking in the kitchen.
- 陽太 Yotaお腹が空いたな。牛乳が飲みたい。Onaka ga suita na. Gyūnyū ga nomitai.I'm hungry. I want some milk.
- 陽葵 Himari冷蔵庫にあるよ。飲んでいいよ。Reizōko ni aru yo. Nonde ii yo.It's in the fridge. You can have some.
- 陽太 Yotaありがとう。コップを貸して。Arigatō. Koppu o kashite.Thanks. Lend me a glass.
- 陽葵 Himariはい、どうぞ。Hai, dōzo.Here you go.
