何が食べたいですか？
nani ga tabetai desu ka?
The English phrase "what would you like to eat?" is translated into Japanese as 何が食べたいですか？ (nani ga tabetai desu ka?)
This phrase is used to ask someone about their food preference or desire at a particular moment, such as deciding on a menu or a restaurant.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 何 (nani, meaning "what"), the subject marker が (ga), the desire-form of the verb taberu (to eat) which is 食べたい (tabetai), the polite copula です (desu) and the question particle か (ka).
Which one should you use?
The default form 何が食べたいですか？ uses the particle が to emphasize the object of desire. Alternatively, you can use 何を食べたいですか？, which uses the particle を to focus more on the action of eating the object. For a more specific sense of "What food do you want to eat?", you can use 食べたいものは何？
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For formal situations, you should use 何を召し上がりたいですか。 In informal settings with friends or family, you can use 何食べたい？ or simply drop the polite ending to say 何が食べたい？
How do you pronounce it?
nani ga tabetai desu ka?
Did you know?
- Japanese culture often prefers 'avoiding' the direct 'you' (anata) when asking this question. Instead of saying 'what do you want to eat?', people often omit the subject entirely or use the person's name to avoid sounding confrontational.
- In Japan, it is common to answer 何が食べたいですか？ with なんでもいいです, meaning 'anything is fine'. This is often a social strategy to avoid appearing demanding or selfish.
- The formal version 召し上がりたい uses the verb 召し上がる, which is a 'honorific' verb. This word is used only for others and can never be used to describe your own act of eating.
Examples in context
- 今日のランチ、何が食べたいですか？Kyō no ranchi, nani ga tabetai desu ka?What would you like to eat for lunch today?
- レストランに着きましたが、何が食べたいですか？Resutoran ni tsukimashita ga, nani ga tabetai desu ka?We have arrived at the restaurant, but what would you like to eat?
Example conversation
Misaki and Yota are deciding on dinner.
- 美咲 Misaki陽太さん、今夜は何が食べたいですか？Yōta-san, konya wa nani ga tabetai desu ka?Yota, what would you like to eat tonight?
- 陽太 Yota僕はお寿司が食べたいです。Boku wa osushi ga tabetai desu.I want to eat sushi.
- 美咲 Misakiいいですね。近くに美味しい店がありますよ。Ii desu ne. Chikaku ni oishii mise ga arimasu yo.That sounds good. There is a delicious shop nearby.
- 陽太 Yotaじゃあ、そこにしましょう！Jā, soko ni shimashō!Then, let's go there!
