お金持ちになりたい
okanemochi ni naritai
In Japanese, "I want to become rich" is expressed as お金持ちになりたい (okanemochi ni naritai).
This phrase is used to express a desire to acquire a large amount of money. In Japanese, the construction expresses the idea of 'becoming a rich person' rather than simply 'becoming rich' as an adjective.
What does it mean word for word?
The noun お金持ち (okanemochi) literally means 'money-holder' or 'rich person'. The verb form なりたい (naritai) means 'want to become'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form なりたい is the desiderative (want to) form of the verb naru (to become).
How do you pronounce it?
okanemochi ni naritai
Did you know?
- Japanese has a specific term 成金 (narikin) for a 'nouveau riche' person, literally meaning 'made money', often used with a negative or mocking connotation.
- In many Japanese contexts, if you were to say お金持ちになりたい to a superior, it might sound overly blunt or even slightly greedy, as expressing direct personal desire can be seen as lacking modesty.
- The word お金 (okane) for money is derived from the word for 'gold' or 'metal', reflecting a time when currency was based on precious metals.
Examples in context
- お金持ちになりたい。I want to become rich.This sentence is useful for stating the desire to become rich using お金持ちになりたい.Tatoeba #9702647 by Leeloobastet, translation #4091865 by andymakespasta
- はい、お金持ちになりたいです。Yes, I want to become rich.
- 裕福な生活を手に入れたいな~I want to achieve a wealthy lifestyle~
- 将来はお金持ちになりたいです。Shourai wa okanemochi ni naritai desu.In the future, I want to become rich.
- 本気でお金持ちになりたいんだ。Honki de okanemochi ni naritai nda.I'm serious about wanting to become rich.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Kenta and Yui are talking about their future dreams.
- 健太 Kenta将来は何になりたい？shourai wa nani ni naritai?What do you want to be in the future?
- 結衣 Yui私はお金持ちになりたいな。watashi wa okanemochi ni naritai na.I want to become rich.
- 健太 Kentaいいよね。僕もそう思うよ。ii yo ne. boku mo sou omou yo.That would be nice. I think so too.
- 結衣 Yui一緒に頑張ろうね！issho ni ganbarou ne!Let's work hard together!
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
