English–Japanese
“want” in Japanese
How to say “want” in Japanese
“Want” in Japanese is 欲しい (hoshii).
Presents something as lacking and therefore wanted by the speaker.
Example sentences with 欲しい
私は新しいえんぴつが欲しいです。watashi wa atara shi i e n pi tsu ga ho shi i de su
I want a new pencil.
誕生日には新しい自転車が欲しいです。tan jō hi ni wa atara shi i ji ten sha ga ho shi i de su
I want a new bicycle for my birthday.
Tips for using 欲しい
- Because 欲しい (hoshii) is an adjective rather than a verb, the desired item is commonly marked by が (ga), not by an English-style direct object pattern.
Other Japanese words for “want”
人は幸せを求めます。hito wa shiawa se o moto me ma su
People want happiness.
みんな幸せを望んでいます。mi n na shiawa se o nozo n de i ma su
Everyone wants happiness.