Introduction
Want to say:
- “I want to eat sushi”?
- “I want to study Japanese”?
- “I don’t want to go to work”?
In Japanese, there’s a super useful way to express what you want to do using:
Verb stem + たい
= I want to ~
Let’s learn how to talk about our wishes and desires in Japanese — and sound natural while doing it!
1. Grammar Structure
Pattern
Verb (stem) + たい
| English | Japanese |
|---|---|
| I want to eat tempura. | 天ぷらを食べたいです。 |
| I want to study Japanese. | 日本語を勉強したいです。 |
| I don’t want to go out. | 出かけたくないです。 |
2. How to Form It
Step-by-Step:
To use V-stem + たい, follow these steps:
- Take the stem form of the verb (remove ます from ます-form)
- Attach たい to the verb stem.
| Verb (ます-form) | Stem | +たい | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 食べます | 食べ | 食べたい | want to eat |
| 話します | 話し | 話したい | want to speak |
| 行きます | 行き | 行きたい | want to go |
| 勉強します | 勉強し | 勉強したい | want to study |
3. Conjugation of たい
You can treat the たい ending as an い-adjective, and conjugate it as such:
| Form | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Positive | 行きたい | want to go |
| Negative | 行きたくない | don’t want to go |
| Past | 行きたかった | wanted to go |
| Past Negative | 行きたくなかった | didn’t want to go |
4. Important Notes About Usage
❌ Don’t use たい to talk directly about other people’s desires.
- NG: 先生は行きたいです。🚫
(= The teacher wants to go.) - ✅ OK: 先生は行きたいと言っていました。✅
(= The teacher said they wanted to go.)
Use reported speech or other patterns (like ～たがっています) to express third-person desire naturally.
5. Examples in Conversation
- 今日はラーメンを食べたいです。
= I want to eat ramen today. - 京都に行きたいです。
= I want to go to Kyoto. - 宿題をしたくないです。
= I don’t want to do homework. - もっと日本語を話したかったです。
= I wanted to speak more Japanese.
6. Practice Time!
Convert these into たい sentences:
| Base | Form | + たい | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 習う (to learn) | Positive | 習いたい | want to learn |
| 会う (to meet) | Negative | 会いたくない | don’t want to meet |
| 泳ぐ (to swim) | Positive | 泳ぎたい | want to swim |
| 休む (to rest) | Past, Positive | 休みたかった | wanted to rest |
| 働く (to work) | Past, Negative | 働きたくなかった | didn’t want to work |
Bonus: Reported Speech Practice
- My older brother said he wants to become a researcher.
→ 兄は研究者になりたいと言っていました。 - Rina said she wants to travel more.
→リナさんはもっと旅行に行きたいと言っていました。
7. FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
- QCan I use this with any verb?
- A
Yes — as long as it’s in the stem form! Just remember to conjugate たい like an い-adjective.
- QCan I say “I want a thing” with たい?
- A
No — use ～がほしい for nouns:
- パソコンがほしいです = I want a computer
- お金がほしくないです = I don’t want money
- QIs たい too direct in formal situations?
- A
Yes, sometimes! It can sound a bit direct, especially when speaking to a teacher, boss, or older person. You can soften it with phrases like:
- ～たいんですが (〜tai n desu ga): “I want to ~, but…” (implies a reason or seeking permission/advice) – Very common and polite way to soften.
- ～たいと思っています (〜tai to omotte imasu): “I am thinking that I want to ~” (sounds less like a direct demand or statement of immediate desire)
- QWhen using 「〜たい」, should I use the particle 「を」 or 「が」 for the object of the verb?
- A
This is a common point of confusion! While the original verb might take 「を」 (e.g., 寿司を食べる – eat sushi), when you attach 「〜たい」, the object can be marked by either 「を」 or 「が」. Both are frequently used, but using 「が」 often emphasizes the object you want.
- 寿司を食べたいです。(Sushi o tabetai desu.) – Standard, emphasizes the action of eating sushi.
- 寿司が食べたいです。(Sushi ga tabetai desu.) – Emphasizes “sushi” as the thing you particularly want to eat. In many contexts, they are interchangeable, but 「が」 can sometimes sound slightly more natural, especially when expressing a specific item you crave or prefer.
- QCan I use 「〜たい」 to talk about what someone else (not me) wants to do?
- A
Directly stating someone else’s desire with 「〜たいです」 is generally avoided, especially in formal or standard Japanese, because you cannot know another person’s feelings for sure. It can sound like you’re assuming their feelings. Instead, you should use indirect methods:
- Reporting what they said: 〜たいと言っていました (〜tai to itte imashita – they said they want to ~)
- Reporting based on their appearance/behavior:
〜たそうです (〜ta sou desu – I hear they want to ~),
〜たいみたいです (〜tai mitai desu – it seems they want to ~),
〜たがっています (〜tagatte imasu – they show signs of wanting to ~
– this form specifically indicates outward manifestation of desire and is used for 3rd person, but requires careful learning).
- QWhy does 「〜たい」 conjugate like an い-adjective?
- A
he 「〜たい」 form behaves grammatically like an い-adjective. This means it can directly modify nouns (e.g., 食べたいもの – tabetai mono = things I want to eat) and follows the same negative and past tense conjugation rules as い-adjectives (〜くない, 〜かった, 〜くなかった). This is just how the grammar evolved in Japanese.
8. Conclusion
Now you can:
✅ Express what you want to do
✅ Use negative and past forms of たい
✅ Report other people’s desires naturally
🎯 Try this:
Write 3 sentences using たい, たくない, and たかった！
Want to improve your Japanese with real conversations?
Our native Japanese instructors at gokigen japanese can help you perfect your pronunciation and learn real-life usage.
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