How to Say "I Want to See" in Japanese

見たい

mitai

見たい (mitai) is the Japanese phrase for 'I want to see'.

This phrase is used to express a desire to look at or watch something.

Which one should you use?

While 見たい expresses a desire to see, it is distinct from miru, which expresses the simple act of seeing.

mitai

While mitai is used for watching a movie, the phrase for seeing a doctor uses the word kakeru or ukeru rather than miru.
When you want to see a movie, you use 見たい, but if you want to see a play or a concert, you might use 観たい. These use different kanji characters to distinguish between 'looking' and 'appreciating art'.
In Japanese, saying mitai to a superior can sound demanding or childish. Instead, people use the humble form haiken shitai to express a desire to see something.

私も見たい！
I want to see, too!
This sentence shows how to express that you also want to see using 見たい.
Tatoeba #11052314 by small_snow, translation #2650191 by Hybrid
自分で見たい。
I want to see it for myself.
This sentence shows how to express a desire to see something for oneself using 見たい.
Tatoeba #159705 by KK_kaku_, translation #254817 by CK
海も見たいな。
I want to see the ocean, too.
This sentence shows how to express a desire to see the ocean using 見たい.
Tatoeba #4216191 by bunbuku, translation #12781984 by CK
あの映画を見たい。
(I want to see that movie.)
見てみたいです。
I want to see and check it out.
13 more sentences on Tatoeba

Misaki and Kenta are talking about a new movie.

美咲 Misaki

新しい映画、もう見た？
Atarashii eiga, mō mita?
Have you seen the new movie yet?
健太 Kenta

まだだよ。美咲は？
Mada da yo. Misaki wa?
Not yet. How about you, Misaki?
美咲 Misaki

私もまだ。すごく見たい！
Watashi mo mada. Sugoku mitai!
Me neither. I really want to see it!
健太 Kenta

じゃあ、一緒に見に行こうか。
Jā, issho ni mi ni ikō ka.
Well, shall we go see it together?

Sources

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