欲しいです
hoshii desu
The English phrase "I would like" is expressed in Japanese as 欲しいです (hoshii desu).
欲しいです is used to express a desire to possess or obtain something. It is generally used to express one's own desires and is considered impolite to use when asking about someone else's desires directly.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say 'I would like [someone] to do [something]', you use the te-form of a verb followed by 欲しい.
How do you pronounce it?
hoshii desu
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use 欲しい to express a desire to perform an action, but 欲しい is only used for wanting a noun/object.
Did you know?
- The kanji for 'want' in 欲しい, 欲, is also used in the word for 'greed', 欲望, which carries a much heavier, more negative connotation than the English 'desire'.
- If you want to say 'I would like a coffee' in a restaurant, using 欲しい can sound quite demanding, almost like a child saying 'I want coffee', whereas 〜をください is the standard polite request.
- The word 欲しい functions grammatically as an adjective describing a state, rather than a verb expressing an action of wanting.
Examples in context
- 水が欲しいです。I would like some water.This example demonstrates how to use 欲しいです to request water.Tatoeba #10701484 by small_snow, translation #10701257 by AlanF_US
- どうせなら、物腰の柔らかい人になって欲しいです。I would like for you to be someone whose disposition is more gentile, if that's possible.This example shows how to use 欲しいです to express a desire for someone else to possess a specific quality.Tatoeba #10187924 by small_snow, translation #12977925 by urro
- サンタさん、クリスマスプレゼントは彼女が欲しいです。Santa, I would like a girlfriend for my Christmas present.This example shows using 欲しいです to express a desire for a specific person as a gift.Tatoeba #2999684 by tommy_san, translation #3002239 by alester237
- Hon ga hoshii (本が欲しい)I want a book
- Mizu choudai (水ちょうだい)I'd like water
- Sushi o tabetai. (寿司を食べたい)I want to eat sushi
- Eigo no benkyou o shitai. (英語の勉強をしたい)I want to study English
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
At a birthday party, discussing potential presents.
- 陽葵 Himari新しいカメラが欲しいです。Atarashii kamera ga hoshii desu.I would like a new camera.
- 陽太 Yotaそれはいいですね。Sore wa ii desu ne.That sounds nice.
- 陽葵 Himari陽太さんは何が欲しいですか？Youta-san wa nani ga hoshii desu ka?What would you like, Youta?
- 陽太 Yota僕は新しい靴が欲しいです。Boku wa atarashii kutsu ga hoshii desu.I would like new shoes.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
