友達になりたいです
tomodachi ni naritai desu
The phrase "I want to be your friend" in Japanese is 友達になりたいです (tomodachi ni naritai desu).
友達になりたいです is used when expressing a desire to establish a new relationship, often in social settings or when meeting someone for the first time. It is a polite expression used to tell someone that you would like to start a friendship with them.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "want to become a friend" because the verb used is naru (to become) rather than desu (to be).
How does it change in a sentence?
Adding the honorific prefix o- to tomodachi as seen in お友達になりたいです makes the expression sound more polite and soft when approaching someone new.
How do you pronounce it?
tomodachi ni naritai desu
Did you know?
- Japanese has a word 義理の友達 ('giri no tomodachi') which refers to 'obligation friends'. These are people you maintain a friendly relationship with not out of personal affection, but because of social duty or professional necessity.
- In Japan, there is a distinct cultural concept called tate-shakai or vertical society, which means friendship is often categorized by seniority. This can make the phrase 友達になりたいです tricky because you are essentially asking to move into a horizontal relationship of equals.
- The word 友達 ('tomodachi') contains the character for 'friend' and 'child'. This reflects an ancient nuance of companionship and shared growth, rather than just a social connection.
Examples in context
- お友達になりたいです。I want to be your friend.Tatoeba #10489073 by small_snow, translation #2012133 by CK
- もしよければ、友達になりたいです。Moshi yokereba, tomodachi ni naritai desu.If you don't mind, I want to be your friend.
Example conversation
Ren and Misaki meet for the first time at a hobby club.
- 蓮 Ren美咲さんと気が合いそうです。友達になりたいです。Misaki-san to ki ga aisō desu. Tomodachi ni naritai desu.I feel like we get along. I want to be your friend.
- 美咲 Misaki私もです！よろしくお願いします。Watashi mo desu! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.Me too! Nice to meet you.
- 蓮 Renありがとうございます。嬉しいです。Arigatō gozaimasu. Ureshii desu.Thank you. I'm happy to hear that.
- 美咲 Misaki今度一緒に遊びましょう。Kondo issho ni asobimashō.Let's hang out together sometime.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
