Tai form (たい) in Japanese: how to say you want to do something

Quick answer: a the tai (たい) form in Japanese indicates that someone wants to perform an action. To form it, remove ます from the polite form of the verb and add たい: 食べます → 食べたい (“I want to eat”) and 行きます → 行きたい (“I want to go”). Since たい it conjugates similarly to an い adjective, forms like たくない, たかった and たくなかった.

also appear. This guide shows the formation, conjugations, particles, and usage cautions of the たい form in Japanese. The examples are designed for those who already recognize the masu form of verbs, but you can also follow the explanation starting with the table below.

What does the tai (たい) form mean?

The structure verb + たい expresses the desire to do what the verb indicates. In Portuguese, it usually corresponds to “quero fazer”, “gostaria de fazer” or, in the past, “queria fazer”.

• 日本に行きたいです。
  Nihon ni ikitai desu.
  I want to go to Japan.
• 日本語をもっと勉強したいです。
  Nihongo o motto benkyou shitai desu.
  I want to study Japanese more.
• 今日は早く寝たい。
  Kyou wa hayaku netai.
  Today I want to sleep early.

たい is added to the stem of the ます form. After it is formed, the entire expression behaves, in basic inflections, like an い adjective. This explains why the negative ends in たくない and the past in たかった.

How to form verbs with たい

The safest method for beginners is to start from the ます form:

1. Put the verb in the ます form.
2. Remove ます.
3. Add たい.

This procedure works with verbs from all three groups. If you still hesitate between godan, ichidan, and irregular verbs, review the Verb groups in Japanese. To use たい, however, you don't need to memorize a new rule for each group: knowing how to get to the ます form already solves the formation.

Conjugation of たい: affirmative, negative, and past

After adding たい, inflect the ending as you would with an い adjective. The table uses 行きたい (ikitai, “want to go”) as a model.

In polite registers, the forms with です are direct and very useful for beginners. There are also variants like 行きたくありません, which are more formal, but it's not necessary to mix all of them on first contact.

Examples in the four forms

• 新しい本を読みたいです。
  Atarashii hon o yomitai desu.
  I want to read a new book.
• 今日は料理したくないです。
  Kyou wa ryouri shitakunai desu.
  I don't want to cook today.
• 子どものとき、先生になりたかったです。
  Kodomo no toki, sensei ni naritakatta desu.
  When I was a child, I wanted to be a teacher.
• 昨日は外に出たくなかったです。
  Kinou wa soto ni detakunakatta desu.
  Yesterday I didn't want to go out.

When to use たい — and when to be careful

1. Talking about your own desire

The most direct use is to express what the speaker themselves want to do. The subject is often omitted when it is already clear from context.

週末、映画を見たいです。
Shuumatsu, eiga o mitai desu.
On the weekend, I want to watch a movie.

2. Asking about the listener's desire

In a question, たい can be used to find out what the other person wants to do. Intonation and polite forms help adapt the sentence to the situation.

日本で何をしたいですか。
Nihon de nani o shitai desu ka.
What do you want to do in Japan?

Among friends, a short question like 何が食べたい？ (Nani ga tabetai?, “What do you want to eat?”) is natural. In formal contexts, choosing a more indirect question can sound more careful.

3. Talking about a third person's desire

Avoid directly presenting another person's internal feelings as if you had access to them. When the desire is observed through behavior, a frequent construction is たがっている.

• I want to go to Japan.
  Watashi wa Nihon ni ikitai desu.
  I want to go to Japan.
• My younger brother shows that he wants to go to Japan.
  Otouto wa Nihon ni ikitagatte imasu.
  My younger brother shows that he wants to go to Japan.

If the person themselves has stated the desire, you can also report the speech: 弟は日本に行きたいと言っています (“My brother says he wants to go to Japan”). The choice depends on how you obtained the information.

Using を or が with the たい form?

With transitive verbs in the たい form, both を how much が can appear in many contexts:

• ジャズを聞きたいです。
• ジャズが聞きたいです。

Both sentences can mean “I want to listen to jazz.” As an initial guideline, を maintains the normal marking of the object of the action; が can highlight what is desired. The preference also varies depending on the verb, the context, and the intended contrast. Therefore, do not treat one of the particles as universally correct and the other as wrong.

If particles are still a difficult point, consult the guide on は, が, を, に and で.

Difference between たい, 欲しい, and てほしい

In summary: use たい for an action you want to do; use 欲しい for something you want to have; and use てほしい when you want an action from another person. The use of 欲しい with nouns is the topic of the article how to say you want something in japanese.

たい in more natural sentences

After mastering the basic structure, combine たい with time, place, reason, and degree of desire. This turns an isolated sentence into real communication.

• いつか北海道に行きたいです。
  Itsuka Hokkaidou ni ikitai desu.
  Someday, I want to go to Hokkaido.
• 日本人の友だちと日本語で話したいです。
  Nihonjin no tomodachi to nihongo de hanashitai desu.
  I want to talk in Japanese with a Japanese friend.
• 疲れたので、少し休みたいです。
  Tsukareta node, sukoshi yasumitai desu.
  Since I'm tired, I want to rest a little.
• もっと漢字が読めるようになりたいです。
  Motto kanji ga yomeru you ni naritai desu.
  I want to become able to read more kanji.

In the last example, 読める is the potential form of “to read.” If this construction is not yet clear, review the potential form of verbs in Japanese.

A softer form: たいと思います

たいと思います adds the idea of “I think I would like to” or “I intend.” In announcements of intention, it can sound less abrupt than just stating たい.

来年、日本へ留学したいと思います。
Rainen, Nihon e ryuugaku shitai to omoimasu.
Next year, I think I'd like to study in Japan.

This structure expresses personal desire or intention; it is not identical to an already defined plan. To talk about decisions and plans with a different nuance, it's worth studying つもり separately.

Common mistakes with the たい form

Adding たい to the dictionary form

Incorrect: 食べるたい
Correct: 食べたい

たい attaches to the stem of the ます form, not the dictionary form. Compare 食べます → 食べたい.

Conjugating たい like a common verb

Incorrect: 行きたいません
Correct: 行きたくないです

The negative changes たい for たくない. The logic is the same as the inflection of い adjectives.

Using たい to want an object

Incorrect: 新しい車をたいです
Correct: 新しい車が欲しいです

Since たい requires a verb, another option would be 新しい車を買いたいです (“I want to buy a new car”).

Confusing “want to do” with “can do”

日本語を話したいです means “I want to speak Japanese.” On the other hand, 日本語が話せます means “I can speak Japanese.” Desire and ability are different ideas.

Quick exercise

Transform the verbs in parentheses into the appropriate form. Try to answer before opening the answer key.

1. 京都で写真を ______ です。 (撮ります) — I want to take pictures in Kyoto.
2. 今日は肉を ______ です。 (食べます, negative) — Today I don't want to eat meat.
3. 子どものとき、医者に ______ です。 (なります, past) — When I was a child, I wanted to be a doctor.
4. 田中さんは新しいパソコンを ______。 (買います, observed desire of a third person) — Tanaka shows that he wants to buy a new computer.

Summary of the たい form

• Use ます-stem + たい: 読みます → 読みたい.
• The main inflections are たい, たくない, たかった and たくなかった.
• Use たい mainly for your own desire or to ask about the listener's desire.
• For a third person, consider たがっている or report what they said.
• With many transitive verbs, both を how much が can occur.
• Do not confuse “want to do” (たい), “want something” (欲しい) and “want someone to do” (てほしい).

To continue the sequence, compare this form with the て-form and the ましょう form. This way you separate three very common intentions: saying what you want to do, connecting actions or requests, and making invitations.

Sources to check and practice

• Marugoto Plus — Vたいです / Vたくないです: formation, inflection, and examples of desire.
• Marugoto Plus A1 — practice of the たい form: exercises in travel situations.
• Japan Foundation — Japanese syllabus: references to たい, たがる and the use of を／が.
• Marugoto Plus — が欲しいです: contrast with the desire to obtain a thing.
• Irodori — Vてほしい: contrast between what the speaker wants to do and what they want another person to do.