Wishes and Desires: ～したい, ～したくない, ～したがる, and ～したがっている
In Japanese, expressing desires and wants is quite nuanced and involves several different forms. Four commonly used expressions to convey one's wishes or the wishes of others are ～したい, ～したくない, ～したがる, and ～したがっている. Let's break down each of these forms and see how they are used with examples.
～したい (Want to do)
This form is used to express the speaker's own desire to do something. It is formed by adding ～たい to the stem of a verb.
Japanese Furigana English 食べたい たべたい I want to eat 行きたい いきたい I want to go 見たい みたい I want to see 勉強したい べんきょう したい I want to study
～したくない (Do not want to do)
This form is used to express the speaker's own lack of desire or refusal to do something. It is formed by adding ～たくない to the stem of a verb.
Japanese Furigana English 食べたくない たべたくない I do not want to eat 行きたくない いきたくない I do not want to go 見たくない みたくない I do not want to see 勉強したくない べんきょう したくない I do not want to study
～したがる (Someone else wants to do)
This form is used to describe someone else's desire to do something. It is formed by adding ～たがる to the stem of a verb and is often used with third-person subjects.
Japanese Furigana English 食べたがる たべたがる He/She wants to eat 行きたがる いきたがる He/She wants to go 見たがる みたがる He/She wants to see 勉強したがる べんきょう したがる He/She wants to study
～したがっている (Someone else is wanting to do)
This form is used to describe someone else's ongoing desire to do something. It is formed by adding ～たがっている to the stem of a verb and indicates a continuous state.
Japanese Furigana English 食べたがっている たべたがっている He/She is wanting to eat 行きたがっている いきたがっている He/She is wanting to go 見たがっている みたがっている He/She is wanting to see 勉強したがっている べんきょう したがっている He/She is wanting to study
Usage in Sentences
To see how these forms work in context, let's look at some example sentences.
わたし は にほん に いきたい です。 - I want to go to Japan.
かれ は すし を たべたくない。 - He does not want to eat sushi.
かのじょ は えいが を みたがっています。 - She is wanting to see a movie.
こどもたち は こうえん で あそびたがる。 - The children want to play in the park.
かれら は ぱーてぃー に いきたがっている。 - They are wanting to go to the party.
These expressions are essential for conveying desires and wants in Japanese, each with its specific use depending on the subject and the nuance. By understanding and practicing these forms, you can more accurately express desires for yourself and others in a variety of contexts.
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In Japanese, expressing desires and wants is quite nuanced and involves several different forms. Four commonly used expressions to convey one's wishes or the wishes of others are ～したい, ～したくない, ～したがる, and ～したがっている. Let's break down each of these forms and see how they are used with examples.
～したい (Want to do)
This form is used to express the speaker's own desire to do something. It is formed by adding ～たい to the stem of a verb.
| Japanese | Furigana | English |
|---|---|---|
| 食べたい | たべたい | I want to eat |
| 行きたい | いきたい | I want to go |
| 見たい | みたい | I want to see |
| 勉強したい | べんきょう したい | I want to study |
～したくない (Do not want to do)
This form is used to express the speaker's own lack of desire or refusal to do something. It is formed by adding ～たくない to the stem of a verb.
| Japanese | Furigana | English |
|---|---|---|
| 食べたくない | たべたくない | I do not want to eat |
| 行きたくない | いきたくない | I do not want to go |
| 見たくない | みたくない | I do not want to see |
| 勉強したくない | べんきょう したくない | I do not want to study |
～したがる (Someone else wants to do)
This form is used to describe someone else's desire to do something. It is formed by adding ～たがる to the stem of a verb and is often used with third-person subjects.
| Japanese | Furigana | English |
|---|---|---|
| 食べたがる | たべたがる | He/She wants to eat |
| 行きたがる | いきたがる | He/She wants to go |
| 見たがる | みたがる | He/She wants to see |
| 勉強したがる | べんきょう したがる | He/She wants to study |
～したがっている (Someone else is wanting to do)
This form is used to describe someone else's ongoing desire to do something. It is formed by adding ～たがっている to the stem of a verb and indicates a continuous state.
| Japanese | Furigana | English |
|---|---|---|
| 食べたがっている | たべたがっている | He/She is wanting to eat |
| 行きたがっている | いきたがっている | He/She is wanting to go |
| 見たがっている | みたがっている | He/She is wanting to see |
| 勉強したがっている | べんきょう したがっている | He/She is wanting to study |
Usage in Sentences
To see how these forms work in context, let's look at some example sentences.
わたし は にほん に いきたい です。 - I want to go to Japan.
かれ は すし を たべたくない。 - He does not want to eat sushi.
かのじょ は えいが を みたがっています。 - She is wanting to see a movie.
こどもたち は こうえん で あそびたがる。 - The children want to play in the park.
かれら は ぱーてぃー に いきたがっている。 - They are wanting to go to the party.
These expressions are essential for conveying desires and wants in Japanese, each with its specific use depending on the subject and the nuance. By understanding and practicing these forms, you can more accurately express desires for yourself and others in a variety of contexts.