How to Say “I Want…” in Japanese: ほしいです for Beginners

The short answer

Use ほしいです (hoshii desu) when you want a thing. Put the thing before が (ga): [thing] + が + ほしいです.

Start with a familiar noun such as 水 (mizu, water).

Japanese often leaves out わたしは (watashi wa, ‘as for me’) when it is already clear that you are talking about yourself.

When to use ほしいです

Use this pattern to talk about something you personally want, such as a drink, gift, device or other object.

This tells someone what you want. It is not automatically a request for them to give it to you.

Make your own sentence

Start with the thing, add が (ga), and finish with ほしいです (hoshii desu).

Descriptions come before the thing.

If が (ga) is still confusing, read the beginner guide to は vs が.

ほしいです vs ください

ほしいです (hoshii desu) expresses a desire. ください (kudasai) is useful when directly asking someone to give you an item.

When ordering or requesting an item, ください is often the more useful beginner choice.

ほしいです vs ～たいです

Use ほしいです for a thing such as a 車 (kuruma, car). Use ～たいです (tai desu) for an action you want to do.

Common beginner mistakes

• Using を (o) in the basic noun pattern. Learn みずがほしいです (mizu ga hoshii desu), not みずをほしいです.
• Using ほしいです for an action. Use ～たいです instead: にほんにいきたいです (nihon ni ikitai desu).
• Treating ほしいです as a universal way to order. For a direct request, これをください (kore o kudasai, ‘this, please’) is often more natural.
• Adding わたしは (watashi wa) to every sentence even when the speaker is already obvious.

Practise saying it

Say each line aloud, then replace the noun with something you want.

Try コーヒー (koohii, coffee), ほん (hon, book), じてんしゃ (jitensha, bicycle), バッグ (baggu, bag), or ゲーム (geemu, game).

A short role-play

Quick quiz

1. What does ほしいです (hoshii desu) mean?
2. How do you say ‘I want water’?
3. Complete the sentence: ほん___ほしいです (hon ___ hoshii desu).
4. Which pattern expresses wanting to do something: ほしいです or ～たいです?
5. How do you ask ‘What do you want?’

Answers

1. I want it / I want one.
2. みずがほしいです (mizu ga hoshii desu).
3. が (ga): ほんがほしいです (hon ga hoshii desu).
4. ～たいです (tai desu).
5. なにがほしいですか (nani ga hoshii desu ka).

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between ほしい and ほしいです?

Both express wanting something. ほしい (hoshii) is casual. ほしいです (hoshii desu) is polite and is the safer form for beginners to practise first.

Can I use ほしいです when ordering food?

People can understand it, but it primarily states what you want. For a direct request, これをください (kore o kudasai, ‘this, please’) is often more useful.

How do I say ‘I want to go to Japan’?

Going is an action, so use ～たいです: にほんにいきたいです (nihon ni ikitai desu).

Continue learning

Build the everyday nouns you can use in this pattern with the YapaneseAI vocabulary lists. If the kana is still difficult, practise with the hiragana and katakana charts.