何がしたいですか？
nani ga shitai desu ka?
In Japanese, "what do you want to do?" is expressed as 何がしたいですか？ (nani ga shitai desu ka?)
This phrase is used to ask someone about their current desires or preferences for an activity.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 何がしたいですか？ is composed of 何 (nani) meaning "what", the subject marker が (ga), the desire form of the verb "to do" called したい (shitai), the polite copula です (desu) and the question particle か (ka).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The default form 何がしたいですか？ is polite and suitable for speaking to strangers, acquaintances or superiors. For a highly formal situation, you can use どのようなことをなさりたいですか？, which translates to "what kind of things would you like to do?" In casual conversation with friends or family, you can use the informal version 何したい？
How does it change in a sentence?
In the informal version 何したい？, the particle が is dropped in casual conversation. The phrase どのようなことをなさりたいですか？ uses どのような to mean "what kind of".
How do you pronounce it?
nani ga shitai desu ka?
Did you know?
- In Japanese culture, asking 何がしたいですか？ too directly can sometimes be seen as putting pressure on the other person to make a decision.
- Japanese often omits the subject 'you' entirely in this phrase because it is understood through context.
- When asking a superior what they want to do, using the honorific verb なさる instead of する is essential to avoid sounding rude.
Examples in context
- 田中さん、どのようなことをなさりたいですか？Tanaka-san, what kind of things would you like to do?
- 友達、何したい？Hey friend, what do you want to do?
- 今日は何がしたいですか？Kyō wa nani ga shitai desu ka?What do you want to do today?
- 休みの日、何がしたいですか？Yasumi no hi, nani ga shitai desu ka?What do you want to do on your days off?
- 今、何がしたいですか？Ima, nani ga shitai desu ka?What do you want to do right now?
Example conversation
Yota and Yui are deciding how to spend their afternoon.
- 陽太 Yota結衣さん、何がしたいですか？Yui-san, nani ga shitai desu ka?Yui, what do you want to do?
- 結衣 Yui映画が見たいです。Eiga ga mitai desu.I want to watch a movie.
- 陽太 Yotaいいですね。行きましょう。Ii desu ne. Ikimashō.That sounds good. Let's go.
- 結衣 Yuiありがとうございます。Arigatō gozaimasu.Thank you.
