In Japanese, the ～たい（-tai）form is used to express desire. When a verb is conjugated using the -tai form, it means, “I want to [verb].” To conjugate the -tai form, remove -masu from the -masu form of the verb and add -tai in its place.
Using the -Tai Form
The -tai form is used when you want to express your wish or desire to do something. It can only be used for actions (verbs). For nouns (physical objects, as in “I want money.”), you will use the word “hoshii” (more on this later). The -tai form is used to express your desires instead of someone else’s. There are ways around this rule, but we’ll get to that later as well.
Japanese sentences are structured using the Subject Object Verb (SOV) structure, while English uses the Subject Verb Object (SVO) approach. You must consider this when creating a sentence using the -tai form as well.
In English, you might say:
I want to go to Shibuya.
The Japanese version of this sentence looks more like this:
私は渋谷に行きたいです。
(Watashi wa Shibuya ni ikitai desu.)
Literally translated, the English of this restructured sentence would be:
I Shibuya to want to go.
The general formula for a sentence using the -tai form in Japanese is:
I （私は, Watashi wa）+ Object (place, person, thing) + Verb{masu stem} たいです。
Common Verbs in the -Tai Form
| Dictionary Form | -masu Form | -tai Form |
| する（suru）- to do | します（shimasu） | したい（shitai） |
| 来る（kuru）- to come | 来ます（kimasu） | 来たい（kitai） |
| 行く（iku）- to go | 行きます（ikimasu） | 行きたい（ikitai） |
| 話す（hanasu）- to speak | 話します（hanashimasu） | 話したい（hanashitai） |
| 聞く（kiku）- to listen | 聞きます（kikimasu） | 聞きたい（kikitai） |
| 食べる（taberu）- to eat | 食べます（tabemasu） | 食べたい（tabetai） |
| 生きる（ikiru）- to live | 生きます（ikimasu） | 生きたい（ikitai） |
| 会う（au）- to meet | 会います（aimasu） | 会いたい（aitai） |
| 歌う（utau）- to sing | 歌います（utaimasu） | 歌いたい（utaitai） |
Using -Tai in the Past Tense
The -tai form can also be used to refer to a desire you had in the past. The conjugation changes slightly: the i in -tai is dropped and replaced with -katta.
Using this formula, let’s look at the previous example. In this case, you wanted to go to Shibuya.
- I wanted to go to Shibuya. – 私は渋谷に行きたかった。 （Watashi wa Shibuya ni ikitakatta.）
Using -Tai to Talk About Another Person’s Desires
Under special circumstances, it’s acceptable to use the past tense of the -tai form to speak about someone else’s desires. However, the speaker must be confident that the third party they’re referring to truly had those desires. For example, at funerals, the deceased’s wishes are better referred to using -tai.
- She wanted to be a flight attendant. – あの子、キャビンアテンダントになりたかったんです (よ)。（Ano ko, kyabin atendanto ni naritakattan desu (yo).）
As the person is no longer around to voice their own wishes, it’s up to those who knew them best to speak on their behalf. However, aside from these more solemn situations, Japanese people don’t use the -tai form to refer to third party wishes unless they are repeating what they heard.
Let’s say John told you, “I want to eat ice cream (私はアイスが食べたいな。).” If Mary comes along as asks, “What do you guys want to eat?” You can repeat what John said using the -tai form: ジョンはアイスが食べたいって。 (Jon wa aisu ga tabetai tte.) – Jon said he wanted to eat ice cream.
We’ll cover this in more detail later in this article.
I Don’t Want To: -Tai Negative Form
Here’s the conjugation formula for -tai in the negative form:
Using the initial formula for conjugating the -tai form, drop the i and replace it with -kunai.
Let’s look at our example of Shibuya again. In this case, we’ll assume that you don’t want to go to Shibuya.
- I don’t want to go to Shibuya. – 私は渋谷に行きたくない。 （Watashi wa Shibuya ni ikitakunai.）
-Tai Negative Past Tense Form
If you’re referring to something you didn’t want to go/do in the past tense, you need to replace the negative particle ない（nai）with its past tense form なかった（nakatta).
Here is the same sentence about not wanting to go to Shibuya, but in the past tense.
- I didn’t want to go to Shibuya. – 私は、渋谷に行きたくなかった。（Watashi wa, Shibuya ni ikitakunakatta.）
Using the -Tai Form Politely
Japanese has many levels of formal language. To make a sentence that uses “-tai” more polite, simply add “です” at the end.
Informal: I wanna go to Shibuya! – 渋谷に行きたい！ （Shibuya ni ikitai!）
Polite: I want to go to Shibuya. – 私は渋谷に行きたいです。（Watashi wa Shibuya ni ikitai desu.）
In the informal example, the speaker’s pronoun (私) is omitted entirely. This is a common practice in both casual and polite Japanese if the subject is already understood. In the second sentence, adding 私 (watashi) makes it sound more formal, but it would sound “stiff” if you already used 私 in your previous sentences.
However, the inclusion of desu is good for polite conversation. Omitting it would be acceptable if you’re speaking with people from your inner circle. In Japanese, the inner and outer circles of social contacts in your life are tied to levels of honorific Japanese.
The -Tai Form + と思います（To Omoimasu）
Another polite and natural way to state your desires using the -tai form is to say that you think you want to do something. The sentence structure would look like this:
For example, let’s say that you want to go to Shibuya with your boss and coworkers. Wanting to keep your request polite formal, you say:
- I think that I want to go to Shibuya. – 私は渋谷に行きたいと思います。 （Watashi wa Shibuya ni ikitai to omoimasu.）
Using the -Tai Form in the Third Person
As mentioned earlier in this article, you would use the -tai to express your own desires. However, there is a way to use it to talk about what other people want to do. But first, let’s look at useful words/phrases you can use with -tai to describe what other people said.
Speculative Language
The easiest way to refer to a third party’s wishes using the -tai form is to add hypothetical or “he said, she said” phrases. Some of the more popular phrases include:
- ～らしい（~rashii）- it seems…
- ～と言ってた（~to itteta）- they said…
- ～そうです（~sou desu）- it looks to me like…
These phrases are placed after the –tai form of the verb and end the sentence. Here are a few examples:
1. It seems like my sister wants to eat ramen. – うちの妹がラーメンを食べたいらしい。 （Uchi no imouto ga raamen o tabetai rashii.）
2. Takeshi said he didn’t want to hang out today. – 武は今日遊びたくないと言ってた。 （Takeshi wa kyou asobitakunai to itteta.）
3. It looks to me like that person wants to enter this building. – あの人はこのビルに入りたそうです。 (Ano hito wa kono biru ni haritasou desu.)*
*Note: This sentence can also be said in this way using 見える (mieru): – あの人はこのビルに入りたいように見えます。(Ano hito wa kono biru ni hairitai you ni miemasu.)
You maintain that you aren’t 100% certain about the third party’s wishes using speculative language. This is considered a polite way of referring to someone else’s desires.
The ～たがる（-Tagaru）Form
The -tagaru form is technically a combination of the -tai form, plus がある(ga aru). It is the sibling of the -tai form and is used to refer to a third party’s desires. The meaning is the same: to want.
You don’t need speculative phrases when using the -tagaru form. Just conjugate the verb you wish to use and put it into the sentence.
- My wants to drink milk. – うちの子ネコはいつもミルクを飲みたがります。(Uchi no koneko wa itsumo miruku o nomitagarimasu.)
- Mike wants to go to Shibuya. – マイクは渋谷に行きたがっている。 （Maiku wa Shibuya ni ikitagatteiru.）
More often than not, the -tagaru form is used in the continuous tense. The exception to this is when the desire is habitual, not current, or finite. For example, if Mike ate ramen on Tuesdays, the sentence would look like this:
- Mike wants ramen on Tuesdays. – マイクは火曜日にラーメンを食べたがる。 （Maiku wa kayoubi ni raamen o tabetagaru.）
Do you understand the difference?
-Tagaru: Negative Form
In the negative tense, the -tagaru is conjugated a bit differently than the -tai form.
- Mike doesn’t want to go to Shibuya. – マイクは渋谷に行きたがらない。 （Maiku wa Shibuya ni ikitagaranai.）
Simply conjugate the “ru” from -tagaru into the negative form to make -tagaranai.
While the -tagaru form is useful, it’s not as colloquial as using the -tai form with speculative language. You will likely find the -tagaru form in written Japanese and hear the speculative language combined with -tai when it comes to third party wishes. Feel free to use whichever one you’re comfortable with; both are acceptable in polite conversation.
The -Tai Form and Particles
Japanese particles can be confusing to many learners. This is especially true for the -tai form, as native speakers might leave out particles altogether when expressing their desires using -tai.
The two particles that are used with the -tai form are を (o) and が (ga). The ga particle is very similar to the は (wa) particle, which is often taught as the Japanese subject or topic marker. So which particle is better, は, を or が?
は (Wa) and が (Ga)
You could talk for days about the differences between は and が. To make things easier, we’ll talk about the most common difference between は and が when using the ~tai form.
Simply put, you’ll use は when you are comparing or contrasting two or more different things.
が is used when something needs to be emphasized.
For Example:
Oh, will Tom go to Osaka? – “じゃあ、トムさんは大阪に行くの？” （Jaa, Tomu-san wa Osaka ni iku no?）
No, Tasuke will go to Osaka. – “いや、太助さんが行くんだって！” （Iya, Tasuke-san ga ikun datte!）
Since there is more than one person in this conversation (Tom, Tasuke, and possibly more people) は (wa) is used to ask about Tom (vs the other people).
Nuance
Tomu-san wa: As for Tom (as opposed to the other people)
Osaka ni iku no?: will he go to Osaka?
が (ga) is used in the second sentence to emphasize that it is Tasuke who will go to Osaka.
Iya, Tasuke-san ga: No, is it TAKUSE
ikun datte!: who said he will go.
So if you have two or more things to compare or contrast using the ~tai form, you’ll use は (example 1 below) and が (example 2 below) when you want to emphasize something.
(I) want to read a book, but I don’t want to read a newspaper. – 本は読みたいけど、新聞は読みたくない。(Hon wa yomitai kedo, shinbun wa yomitaku nai.)
(I) want to read a book (not a newspaper or magazine, but a BOOK!). 本が読みたい。 (Hon ga yomitai.)
を(O) and が (Ga)
Japanese speakers use both を (o) and が (ga) for simple ~tai sentences, and most of the time, you’ll be fine using both too. However, there are times where you CAN’T use が (ga). For certain verbs, you can ONLY use を (o). For example, the verb 建てる (tateru – to build) will use the を particle.
Example:
I want to build a new doghouse for Snoopy.
Correct: スヌーピーに新しい犬小屋を建てたい。(Snoopy ni atarashii inugoya o tatetai.)
Wrong: 犬小屋が建てたい。(Snoopy ni atarashii inugoya ga tatetai.)
Here’s the difficult part. Normally, you would use を for transitive verbs (verbs where you do an action on an object), but this isn’t always the case with ~tai. Transitive verbs like eat or read (example below) can use が too. This is something you’ll need to learn over time through experience. However, you’ll probably be fine both を or が for most situations, as most common verbs used in daily conversation can take both particles.
GRAMMAR NERD ALERT!
If you love all the small details of grammar, this next section is for you.
There is also a difference in nuance when using を (o) or が (ga). As mentioned above, using が will emphasize the OBJECT or SUBJECT in your sentence. Using を will emphasize the ACTION of the ~tai sentence. Let’s look at some examples:
Examples:
I want to read a book. – 私は本を読みたい。 （Watashi wa hon o yomitai desu.）
Nuance: I want to READ a book (not watch a movie, listen to music, etc. but READ)
I want to read a book. – 私は本が読みたいです。 （Watashi wa hon ga yomitai desu.）
Nuance: I want to read a BOOK (not a magazine, newspaper, etc. but a BOOK)
As stated above, this is for grammar nerds only. This nuance is small, so you don’t even need to worry about it in conversation. Feel free to use either を or が in your conversations.
Using No Particles
Another important thing to remember is that in casual, spoken Japanese, the particle is often left out altogether (along with the formal “desu”). The subject can also be left out, as the -tai form is only used to refer to yourself.
- I want to read a book. – 本読みたい。 （Hon yomitai.）
Japanese particles are tricky, but as the saying goes, “Language is alive.” By listening and speaking often, you’ll gain a natural feel for when and how to use your particles.
The -Tai Form vs. 欲しい（Hoshii）
The verb 欲しい（hoshii means to want, to desire. It’s used when you want a physical object (noun).
The typical sentence structure for using hoshii to describe something you want is:
As with the -tai form, the subject of this sentence will almost always be you. The object will be a noun, and the particle will be が (ga) in most cases. Let’s look at this example sentence:
- I want ice cream. -（私は）アイスが欲しい。 （(Watashi wa) aisu ga hoshii.）
Hoshii: Negative Form
When conjugated in the negative or past tense, hoshii acts a lot like the -tai form. The last “i” is changed into “kunai.”
Example:
- I don’t want ice cream. – （私は）アイスが欲しくない。 （(Watashi wa) aisu ga hoshikunai.）
Hoshii: Past Tense
For hoshii in the past tense, you would change the last “i” into “katta.”
Example:
- I wanted ice cream. -（私は）アイスが欲しかった。 （(Watashi wa) aisu ga hoshikatta.）
Another way in which hoshii acts like the -tai form is in polite conversation. Like the -tai form, hoshii becomes more polite when it has です（desu）at the end of its sentence. You can also use ~to omoimasu with hoshii sentences.
Example:
- I think I want a second house in the countryside. – 田舎に別荘が欲しいと思います。 (Inaka ni bessou ga hoshii to omoimasu.)
Hoshii: Wanting Someone Else to Do Something
Hoshii can be used if you want someone else to do something. To do this, add “ほしい” to the te-form of a verb.
Example:
- (I) want you to read this magazine. – あなたにこの雑誌を読んでほしい。 (Anata ni kono zasshi o yonde hoshii.)
You can also add ~to omoimasu to make your sentences sound more polite:
(I think) I want you to read this magazine. – あなたにこの雑誌を読んでほしいと思います。(Anata ni konozasshi o yonde hoshii to omoimasu.)
Notice that the “I” is omitted from the Japanese sentence. Anyone hearing this sentence will understand that you are the subject (since you are the one saying the sentence). The “you” (あなたに) could also be omitted in this case.
This pattern is also used when you want an organization, company, or even nature to do something.
Examples:
1. I want the police to warn all the people in this area who don’t follow proper bicycle etiquette. – この辺にいる自転車のマナーの悪い人に、警察から注意してほしいな。 (Kono hen ni iru jitensha no manaa no warui hito ni, keisatsu kara chuui shite hoshii na.)
2. I want the weather to get cooler. – 天候 がもっと涼しくなってほしい。 (Tenkou ga motto suzushiku natte hoshii.)
You can also use ~to omoimasu to make your sentences sound more polite:
- It got cold. (I think) I want the weather to get warmer soon. – 寒くなってきました。早く暖かくなってほしいなと思います。 (Samukunatte kimashita. Hayaku atatakaku natte hoshii na to omoimasu.)
Conclusion
There is an abundance of ways to express your desires in Japanese. However, it’s important to remember that speaking about someone else’s desires requires a bit of fine-tuning or a different verb form altogether. If you want to know exactly what you need to do to learn Japanese quickly and efficiently, check out our Learning Japanese Fast Roadmap.
What is something that you want right now? Try writing it in Japanese in the comment section below! Thank you for reading this article on the -tai form, and good luck with your studies.
