English–Japanese
“desire” in Japanese
How to say “desire” in Japanese
“Desire” in Japanese is 欲 (yoku).
It expresses an inner drive to obtain more of something, whether the wish is moderate or excessive.
Example sentences with 欲
欲を抑えるために、必要な物だけを買います。yoku o osa e ru ta me ni hitsu yō na mono da ke o ka i ma su
To control my desires, I buy only what I need.
Tips for using 欲
- Japanese 欲 (yoku) covers both ordinary desire and greed, so its tone depends on whether the speaker sees wanting more as reasonable or excessive.
Other Japanese words for “desire”
彼は名声への欲望を隠しません。kare wa mei sei e no yoku bō o kaku shi ma se n
He does not hide his desire for fame.
人には新しいことを学ぶ欲求があります。hito ni wa atara shi i ko to o mana bu yok kyū ga a ri ma su
People have a desire to learn new things.