sensushi
← back to たい

たい details

write + want to do

kaki tai

want to do

meaning: want to write

今夜こんやは寿司すしが食たべたいな。

kon'ya wa sushi ga tabetai na.

I feel like sushi tonight. casual

将来しょうらいは海外かいがいで働きはたらきたい。

shourai wa kaigai de hataraki tai.

In the future I want to work abroad. neutral

  • negative
  • past
  • negative past
  • polite

Examples

want to do — the speaker's own desire to perform an action

今夜こんやは寿司すしが食たべたいな。

kon'ya wa sushi ga tabetai na.

I feel like sushi tonight. casual

将来しょうらいは海外かいがいで働はたらきたいです。

shourai wa kaigai de hatarakitaidesu.

In the future I want to work abroad. neutral

本日ほんじつは新あたらしい計画けいかくについてお話はなししたいと思おもいます。

honjitsu wa atarashii keikaku ni tsuite o hanashi shitai to omoimasu.

Today I would like to talk about the new plan. formal

Formation

Notes

たい conjugates as an i-adjective, never a verb. The object wavers between が and を: 水が飲みたい is the classic pattern, 水を飲みたい fully standard. Naked たいです states a want more directly than politeness usually allows — たいと思います cushions it.

Related patterns

Similar

  • がほしい

    Both conjugate as i-adjectives and mark the desired target with が — たい wants an ACTION and rides a verb stem, ほしい wants a THING and follows a bare noun.

Lookalikes

  • たがる

    One kana apart in the past (行きたかった／行きたがった), but たい asserts the speaker's own urge while plain third-person desire requires たがる — which also prefers を where たい leans on が.

  • てほしい

    Both hang "want" on a verb, but たい (masu-stem) wants to act yourself while てほしい (て-form) wants someone ELSE to act — 手伝いたい offers help, 手伝ってほしい requests it.

Same meaning

want to; want something

PatternAttaches to
がほしい
がる
たがる
てほしい