Hoshii (欲しい) in Japanese: how to say you want something

To say “I want something” in Japanese, one of the most useful structures is Nが欲しいです (N ga hoshii desu). The word 欲しい (ほしい, hoshii) indicates that you desire a thing: a book, free time, an opportunity, or any other noun.

The choice changes when the desire involves an action. For “I want to do,” you use the form たい of verbs. For “I want someone to do,” you use Vてほしい. The difference seems small, but it avoids confusing sentences and requests that sound more direct than you intended.

Quick answer: how to say you want something in Japanese?

Use the structure:

Person は + thing が + 欲しいです

In conversations, the topic with は is often omitted when it is already clear.

• 私は新しい辞書が欲しいです。
  Watashi wa atarashii jisho ga hoshii desu.
  I want a new dictionary.
• もう少し時間が欲しいです。
  Mou sukoshi jikan ga hoshii desu.
  I would like a little more time.
• 何が欲しいですか。
  Nani ga hoshii desu ka.
  What do you want?

The desired object usually comes with the particle が. This is the basic pattern worth memorizing: 水が欲しい, not 水を欲しい.

What does hoshii mean?

欲しい can be translated as “to want,” “to desire,” or “to like having,” depending on the context. Although it often becomes a verb in Portuguese translation, grammatically it is an い-adjective. Therefore, its conjugation follows the same pattern as words like 新しい (new) and 楽しい (fun).

If this classification is still new to you, review the い-adjectives in Japanese. Understanding this foundation makes the negative and past forms of 欲しい much more predictable.

How to conjugate 欲しい

Examples in affirmative and negative

• 旅行の写真が欲しいです。
  Ryokou no shashin ga hoshii desu.
  I want the photos of the trip.
• 今日はコーヒーが欲しくないです。
  Kyou wa koohii ga hoshikunai desu.
  Today I don't want coffee.

Examples in the past

• 子どものとき、犬が欲しかったです。
  Kodomo no toki, inu ga hoshikatta desu.
  When I was a child, I wanted a dog.
• 前は車が欲しくなかったです。
  Mae wa kuruma ga hoshikunakatta desu.
  Before, I didn't want a car.

In Japanese, the so-called “non-past” can refer to both the present and a future situation. The time is usually made clear by words like 今 (now), 今日 (today) or by context.

When to use が and when to use は with 欲しい

In a neutral sentence, が marks what is desired:

新しいパソコンが欲しいです。
Atarashii pasokon ga hoshii desu.
I want a new computer.

は it can appear when there is contrast or when the item is already the topic of the conversation:

パソコンは欲しいですが、タブレットは要りません。
Pasokon wa hoshii desu ga, taburetto wa irimasen.
I want a computer, but I don't need a tablet.

This does not turn は into an automatic substitute for が. To begin with, memorize Nが欲しい and use は when there is a clear reason to topicalize or contrast the noun.

Hoshii in casual and polite sentences

The form without です, like 新しい靴が欲しい, is common in casual conversations and personal thoughts. Adding です makes the sentence polite, but does not change the inflection of 欲しい: what changes to negative or past tense is still the adjective.

• これが欲しい。
  Kore ga hoshii.
  I want this. (casual)
• これが欲しいです。
  Kore ga hoshii desu.
  I want this. (polite)
• これは欲しくないです。
  Kore wa hoshikunai desu.
  I don't want this. (polite, with contrast)

It is also possible to use 欲しいんですが to present a need or desire and let the other person respond. In a stationery store, for example:

白い紙が欲しいんですが……。
Shiroi kami ga hoshii n desu ga…
I would like some white paper…

The sentence does not end with an explicit question. The ending んですが creates space for the other person to offer help, ask a question, or indicate where to find the item. This resource is useful when the context makes the request predictable, but it does not replace all ways of asking for something.

Does Hoshii mean “to want” or “to need”?

The safest translation of 欲しい is “to want” or “to desire.” In Portuguese, we sometimes translate a sentence as “I need” because it sounds more natural in the situation, but this equivalence depends on the context.

Compare:

• 休みが欲しいです。
  Yasumi ga hoshii desu.
  I want some time off / I need some time off.
• パスポートが必要です。
  Pasupooto ga hitsuyou desu.
  It is necessary to have a passport / I need a passport.

In the first sentence, the speaker expresses desire. In the second, 必要 indicates objective necessity. Translating all of 欲しい as “to need” can erase this difference.

Hoshii and tai: what is the difference?

The main difference lies in the type of desire:

• Nが欲しい: I want a thing.
• Vます + たい: I want to perform an action.

Compare:

• 日本語の本が欲しいです。
  Nihongo no hon ga hoshii desu.
  I want a Japanese book.
• 日本語の本を読みたいです。
  Nihongo no hon o yomitai desu.
  I want to read a Japanese book.

In the first sentence, the focus is on the desired thing: the book. In the second, the focus is on the action of reading. To form the second structure safely, also see how to organize sentences in Japanese.

How to talk about someone else's desire?

欲しい describes an internal state. Therefore, it is more natural to use it for one's own desire or in questions directed at the interlocutor. When stating a third person's desire, Japanese usually indicates the source of the information or an observable behavior.

Reporting what the person said

美咲さんは新しい自転車が欲しいと言っています。
Misaki-san wa atarashii jitensha ga hoshii to itte imasu.
Misaki says she wants a new bicycle.

Describing a perceived desire

弟は新しいゲームを欲しがっています。
Otouto wa atarashii geemu o hoshigatte imasu.
My younger brother is wanting a new game.

欲しがる works as a verb and usually marks the desired thing with を. The nuance is “showing signs of wanting,” not directly accessing the person's thoughts. In reports, 欲しいと言っています is usually the more transparent alternative.

What does Vてほしい mean?

When 欲しい comes after a verb in form て, the meaning is no longer “I want something” but rather “I want someone to do something”.

The basic structure is:

Person に + object を + verb in the て form + 欲しい

• みなさんにこの本を読んでほしいです。
  Minasan ni kono hon o yonde hoshii desu.
  I want everyone to read this book.
• 友だちに手伝ってほしいです。
  Tomodachi ni tetsudatte hoshii desu.
  I want a friend to help me.
• この映画を見てほしいです。
  Kono eiga o mite hoshii desu.
  I want you to watch this movie.

Note the correct form 読んでほしい: the verb 読む will come 読んで in the て. form. Forms like 読んだほしい are incorrect.

Is Vてほしい an order?

Not necessarily. The structure expresses a desire directed at another person's action. Depending on the relationship, intonation, and situation, however, the direct form Vてほしい can sound strong, insistent, or demanding.

Among close people, it can be natural:

Please come early tomorrow.
Ashita wa hayaku kite hoshii.
I want you to come early tomorrow.

When you are asking for help or speaking with someone you are not close to, a formulation with んですが presents the request in a less abrupt way:

すみません、ちょっと見てほしいんですが……。
Sumimasen, chotto mite hoshii n desu ga…
Excuse me, I would like you to take a look…

In formal situations or with superiors, prefer a request appropriate to the level of politeness, such as Vていただけますか. Therefore, Vてほしい is not a construction reserved for bosses, but it is also not automatically polite just because it ends in です.

Mini dialogue with Vてほしいんですが

A: すみません、このメールを見てほしいんですが……。
Sumimasen, kono meeru o mite hoshii n desu ga…
Excuse me, I would like you to take a look at this email…

B: はい、いいですよ。どうしましたか。
Hai, ii desu yo. Dou shimashita ka.
Sure. What happened?

A's speech presents the request without turning てほしい into an order. B accepts and asks for more context. In a service situation or when facing someone hierarchically superior, a question with ていただけますか may be more appropriate.

Common mistakes with hoshii

1. To use を in Nが欲しい. For a desired thing, the basic pattern is Nが欲しい.
2. Treating 欲しい as a verb in the conjugation. He is an い-adjective: 欲しくない, 欲しかった.
3. To use 欲しい for “I want to do”. For your own actions, use Vたい.
4. Put the verb in the past tense before ほしい. For “I want you to read”, say 読んでほしい, with the て-form.
5. To presume someone else's desire. In statements about third parties, cite what they said or use a form that indicates observation, like 欲しがっています.
6. Ignoring the social relationship. 何が欲しいですか is possible, but it can be too direct to ask a person of higher status what they want.

Quick exercise

Choose between 欲しい, たい and てほしい:

1. I want a new camera.
2. I want to take photos in Kyoto.
3. I want my friend to see these photos.

Answers:

1. 新しいカメラが欲しいです。
   Atarashii kamera ga hoshii desu.
2. 京都で写真を撮りたいです。
   Kyouto de shashin o toritai desu.
3. 友だちにこの写真を見てほしいです。
   Tomodachi ni kono shashin o mite hoshii desu.

The summary is simple: thing + が欲しい, own action + たい and another person's action + てほしい. By mastering this separation, you will express desires much more clearly in Japanese.

Common questions

Sources for further study

The explanations were checked against materials from the Japan Foundation: the entry Nがほしいです from Minna no Kyozai, The the conjugation table for い adjectives from Marugoto, the Irodori chapter on Vてほしいんですが and the article Expression of desire.