Expressing Desire (たい)

In English, when we have a desire to do something, we use "want to do" to express this; in Japanese, the equivalent to this is たい which is attached to a verb, for example 「食べたい」 (I want to eat) when you wish to eat something. As before, there are verb pairs to express between our own personal desires and those of other people's desires to want to do something:

たい to Want to Do

To conjugate a verb into たい form, you'll need the base 2 of a verb and attach たい to the end. If you need a reminder on verb bases and verb types, please check out our other lesson covering Verb Bases first. For Ichidan Verbs, drop the る; for Godan Verbs, replace the final /u/ sound with an /i/ sound.

It is very important to note that a verb conjugated in たい form works just like any i-adjective would so do not conjugate the verb itself when changing it's tense and negative forms. Also, remember that たい, just like ほしい, is used only to express your own personal desires.

1. 博物館に行きたいんだ

   hakubutsukan ni ikitai nda

   I want to go to the museum

2. 負けたところは見たくないの！

   maketa tokoro wa mitakunai no!

   I don't want to see myself lose!

3. もう少し遊びたかった

   mousukoshi asobitakatta

   I wanted to play a bit more

4. 学校へ行きたくなかった

   gakkou e ikitakunakatta

   I didn't want to go to school

You simply cannot express another person's desires because you cannot know exactly what other people are really thinking or feeling. When expressing what someone else wants to do, you will need to make it clear that you are only assuming what they want by attaching 〜たがる to the end of a verb in base 2 or using words such as 〜そう (appearing to) or いう (to say). For example:

5. 大宮さんは読みたがる

   oomiya-san wa yomitagaru

   Oomiya-san seems to want to read

6. 大宮さんは読みたそう

   oomiya-san wa yomitasou

   Oomiya-san looks like he wants to read

7. 大宮さんは読みたいと言っていた

   oomiya-san wa yomitai to itteita

   Oomiya-san was saying he wants to read

※ Example sentence (1) and (2) was taken from the game ポケットモンスター Let's Go! (Pokemon Let's Go!).

※ そう (appearing to) replaces the い of an i-adjective (i.e: たい = たそう).

Subject が vs Direct Object を

Generally, the use of が and を can be interchangeable except for some conditions where one is more common than the other. Of course, in casual spoken Japanese, you may not use any particle at all but our focus here is how changing the particle can present a different nuance in meaning.

1. 本(が/を)読みたい

   hon (ga / o) yomitai

   I want to read books

2. 日本語(が/を)学びたい

   nihongo (ga / o) manabitai

   I want to learn Japanese

In sentence (1) and (2), either が or を can be used. In most cases, this holds true. However, which one you use may give a slight difference in meaning, for example が can express wanting to read books in general whereas を can imply wanting to read a specific book.

In sentence (2), if you want to express a stronger interest in the Japanese language itself or show a broader scope of learning, you may use が. However, if you want to focus more on the act of studying Japanese, を is probably the better choice.

The difference in meanings are very subtle and these two particles are often used interchangeably. Sometimes, one particle is more common than the other so it's just a case of memorising them.

Most of the time, を will be used as this is the most common but so is dropping those particles altogether that there is no need to even worry about thinking which one to use.

— When が is more common

Since が places emphasis and focus on the marked subject from all the other possible subjects, it is usually the preferred choice when wanting to do something where there are other options. For example:

• 漫画が読みたい

  manga ga yomitai

  I want to read manga

There are many kinds of books you could read from such as novels, reference books, self-help books, travel guides and so on but here, you only want to read manga. Using が highlights exactly the thing you are talking about, making it the best choice.

It is also very common to use が when making simple sentences or when talking about things you do regularly and repeatedly such as drinking, eating, going to school/work and such.

• 水が飲みたい

  mizu ga nomitai

  I want to drink water

— When を is more common

When there are multiple conjugations taking place such as a verb in ている form conjugated with たい to express wanting something that is happening or ongoing. The focus here is now on the act of "reading" making を the better choice.

• 漫画を読んでいたい

  manga o yondeitai

  I want to be reading manga

The use of を is also common when other elements come between を and the verb. Here, を makes it clear that "manga" is the thing receiving the action of the verb, not my friends being read or indicating that the "manga" itself is the thing doing the act of reading.

• 漫画を友達と読みたい

  manga o tomodachi to yomitai

  I want to read manga with my friends

As you can see, the purpose of を is to help clarify the direct object of the verb (e.i: you want to read manga with friends, rather than implying that your friends are also being read).

— Summary

• 水を飲んでおきたい

  mizu o nondeokitai

  (を is the better choice here, it sounds natural and is the most common. There are also multiple conjugations taking place. While not really important, it does make it more obvious)

• 水(が / を)たくさん飲みたい

  mizu (ga / o) takusan nomitai

  (Either が or を can be used, the meaning stays the same but を is more common since other elements come between を and the verb)

• 水が飲みたい

  mizu ga nomitai

  (が is more common in simple sentences like this, especially with a verb like drinking which is something we all do regularly)

In the last point about が, this is not always true since を is still more common when a sentence indicates a significant change in the object (eg. I want to break common sense) rather than a routine action (eg. I want to eat a meal). Some regions in Japan, such as Shizuoka, Yamanashi and Nagano may still use を even for simple sentences and routine actions ^[1].

Knowing which to use is a simple matter of memorising when が is more common by being exposed to more real Japanese content. There are no set rules or clues but you'll get use to it.

※1 — Research from NHK, 2004.06.01 (accuracy of this cannot be guaranteed and may no longer be valid).

〜てぇ to Want to DoCasual

～たい is the most common and standard way of expressing a desire to want to do something but a more casual and colloquial form of this is 〜てぇ which isn't that common and should only be used in very casual situations. Due to its level of informality, it can sound much stronger and intense. It may even be considered rude or offensive depending on the context.

• やりてぇ事をやってるんだ

  yarite~e koto o yatteru nda

  I'm doing what I want to do

• ベストアンサーもらいてぇ

  besuto ansa— moraite~e

  I want to get the best answer

The use of 〜てぇ we are showing here should not be confused with other stems or contractions. To know if 〜てぇ means the same as ～たい, you'll need to know the context of which it is used.

※ Example sentences were taken from the game ペルソナ5 (Persona 5).

Additional Notes

Related Lessons and References

Here is a list of other pages as a reference of what else you may be interested in reading: