What does it mean word for word?
The part 行きたい is the desiderative (want to) form of the verb 行く (to go).
Which one should you use?
The variation ～へ行きたいです can be used when expressing a desire to go to a certain direction or a more general area.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The phrase ～に行きたい is an informal way to express the desire to go to a place by removing the polite ending です. To make the phrase polite and suitable for speaking to strangers or superiors, you should add です to the end, forming ～に行きたいです. If you want to convey the sense of curiosity or wanting to try going to a place, you can use the formal form ～に行ってみたいです. For a more conversational tone or to emphasize desire, you can use ～に行きたいんだ.
How does it change in a sentence?
に is the standard particle for the destination of movement.
How do you pronounce it?
ni ikitai
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use the particle を instead of に before the verb to indicate destination, but に is the standard particle for the destination of movement.
Did you know?
- In Japanese, expressing your own desire to go somewhere using 行きたい is common, but using it to describe another person's desire is grammatically incorrect because you cannot know their internal feelings.
- If you want to go somewhere but are being polite, you might use 行きたいのですが (ikitai no desu ga) and trail off. This signals a request for the other person to suggest a time or offer to take you.
- If you say に行きたい to a Japanese person, they might assume you are talking about yourself. In Japanese culture, expressing strong personal desires directly can sometimes be seen as too blunt or even selfish in certain social contexts.
Examples in context
- 街に行きたい。I want to go to town.This sentence is useful for expressing a desire to go to town.Tatoeba #3459177 by arnab, translation #3669430 by karloelkebekio
- 海外に行きたい。I want to go to another country.This sentence is useful for expressing a desire to go to another country.Tatoeba #1200846 by bunbuku, translation #3777928 by CK
- 映画見に行きたい。I want to go to the movies.This sentence is useful for expressing a desire to go to the movies.Tatoeba #3235285 by tommy_san, translation #4559231 by Raizin
- 東京に行きたいです。I want to go to Tokyo.
- 公園へ行きたいです。I want to go to the park.
- 温泉に行ってみたいです。I want to go to a hot spring (to give it a try).
- 海に行きたい。I want to go to the beach.
- 山に行きたいんだ！I really want to go to the mountain!
- 静かな海に行きたいです。I want to go to a peaceful beach.
- 美味しい食べ物があるから、京都へ行きたいです。I want to go to Kyoto because there is delicious food there.
- 37 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Misaki and Hiroto are talking about their next vacation.
- 美咲 Misaki今度の休みは北海道に行きたいです。Kondo no yasumi wa Hokkaido ni ikitai desu.I want to go to Hokkaido for the next holiday.
- 大翔 Hirotoいいですね。私もそこに行きたいです。Ii desu ne. Watashi mo soko ni ikitai desu.That sounds great. I want to go there too.
- 美咲 Misaki大翔さんはどこに行きたいですか。Hiroto-san wa doko ni ikitai desu ka.Where do you want to go, Hiroto?
- 大翔 Hiroto僕は沖縄に行きたいです。Boku wa Okinawa ni ikitai desu.I want to go to Okinawa.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
