How to Say "I Want to Do" in Japanese: Expressing Desires (... shitai)
Hello! In previous lessons, you learned to talk about "things" you want. In this lesson, we will make your expression of will even more active. Let's master how to express the desire not for an object, but for an "action"—that is, the feeling of "I want to do ~".
Once you can freely say "I want to go to Japan" or "I want to eat sushi," you'll be able to talk about everything from your life goals to your plans for next weekend!
🎯 Lesson Goal
Learn to state the actions you want to do by changing the verb ending from "ます" (masu) to
「〜たいです」 (~tai desu)!
Step 1 Discover
Let's look at how this is used in a real conversation. Two friends are talking about their weekend plans.
週末、何をしたいですか？
(Shuumatsu, nani o shitai desu ka?)
私は寿司が食べたいです。マリアさんは？
(Watashi wa sushi ga tabetai desu. Maria-san wa?)
私は映画が見たいです。
(Watashi wa eiga ga mitai desu.)
Did you notice?
Instead of saying "tabemasu" (eat) or "mimasu" (see), Kenji and Maria changed the ends of their verbs to"tai desu"to express what theywantto do!
Step 2 The Pattern
The feeling that you "want to do something" can be easily expressed by slightly changing the verb form.
Basic Chunk
たいです。
( tai desu.)
🔑 Key Point: Dropping the "Masu"
You simply need to remove "ます" (masu) from the polite form of the verb and attach "たいです" (tai desu) instead. For example: 行きます (ikimasu) becomes 行きたいです (ikitai desu).
Step 3 Pattern Practice
Let's practice transforming regular actions into things youwantto do. Read these out loud!
-
To Go (ikimasu) I want to go to Japan.
日本へ行きたいです。
(Nihon e ikitai desu.)
-
To Eat (tabemasu) I want to eat sushi.
寿司が食べたいです。
(Sushi ga tabetai desu.)
-
To Drink (nomimasu) I want to drink cold beer.
冷たいビールが飲みたいです。
(Tsumetai bi-ru ga nomitai desu.)
Step 4 Make It Yours!
This is the most important step! What do you really want to do now? Pick words from the Cheat Sheet below and complete your own sentences out loud.
👉 私は THING が ACTION たいです。
Vocabulary Cheat Sheet
Desired Actions (動詞)
- いきたい ikitai (want to go)
- たべたい tabetai (want to eat)
- のみたい nomitai (want to drink)
- みたい mitai (want to see)
- ねたい netai (want to sleep)
Places & Things (名詞)
- うみ umi (sea)
- えいが eiga (movie)
- ラーメン ra-men (ramen)
- ほん hon (book)
- かいもの kaimono (shopping)
Bonus Go Beyond the Basics
The "〜たい" form conjugates according to the exact same rules as "i-adjectives". Here is how to say youdon'twant to do something, or how to say it casually to friends!
🙅♀️ 1. I DON'T want to... (Negative)
仕事へ行きたくないです。
(Shigoto e ikitakunai desu.)
何もしたくない。
(Nani mo shitakunai.)
🤝 2. Friendly & Casual Desires
ラーメン食べたい。
(Ra-men tabetai.)
早く帰りたいな。
(Hayaku kaeritai na - "I kinda want to go home early.")
Summary Lesson Review
Wanting to Do Actions: Remove "ます" and attach 〜たいです (tai desu) to a verb to express actions you want to perform.
Conjugation Rules: The "〜たい" form conjugates according to the exact same rules as i-adjectives.
Negative Form: Use たくないです (takunai desu) to express that you don't want to do a specific action.
Practice Drill
Explanation