なりたい
naritai
The Japanese phrase for "I want to become" is なりたい (naritai).
This phrase is used to express a desire to change into a certain state or profession in the future. When you want to become a noun, such as a profession or an animal, you must place the particle に before なりたい.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express a desire to become a certain state or adjective (such as being fast), use the adjective in its adverbial form, which often ends in く, before なりたい.
How do you pronounce it?
naritai
Did you know?
- Japanese has a specific concept called なり上がり, which describes someone who has 'become' a person of high social status through sheer effort or luck, often implying they are a social climber.
- In Japanese, you cannot use なりたい to express a desire for another person to change. You must use なってほしい, because たい is grammatically restricted to the speaker's own internal feelings.
- Using なりたい in a job interview can sound childish to a native speaker. To sound mature and humble, candidates use the more indirect なりたいと考えております, which translates closer to 'I am thinking that I want to become'.
Examples in context
- 足速くなりたい。I want to become faster.This sentence shows how to use an adverbial form to express a desire to change state with the form なりたい.Tatoeba #3710898 by tommy_san, translation #6586301 by jasmaa
- 政治家になりたい。I want to become a politician.This sentence shows how to express a desire to become a profession with the form なりたい.Tatoeba #9475751 by small_snow, translation #8681429 by shekitten
- コアラになりたい。I want to become a koala.This sentence shows how to express a desire to become an animal with the form なりたい.Tatoeba #10016801 by small_snow, translation #10016808 by Hybrid
- 39 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their future dreams.
- 蓮 Ren将来は何になりたい？Shourai wa nani ni naritai?What do you want to become in the future?
- 陽葵 Himari私は先生になりたいな。Watashi wa sensei ni naritai na.I want to become a teacher.
- 蓮 Renいい考えだね。陽葵ならできそう。Ii kangae da ne. Himari nara dekisou.That's a great idea. I think you can do it, Himari.
- 陽葵 Himariありがとう。蓮は何になりたいの？Arigatou. Ren wa nani ni naritai no?Thanks. What do you want to become, Ren?
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
