The たい (Tai) Form is an essential grammar structure in Japanese used to express wanting to do something. It’s commonly used in daily conversations when talking about personal desires and preferences.
Unlike nouns (where “want” is expressed with 欲しい (hoshii)), the たい form is exclusively used for actions (verbs).
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What is the たい Form?
The たい form is used when the speaker wants to do something. It is attached to the stem of a verb and conjugates like an い-adjective.
日本に行きたい！
(Nihon ni ikitai!)
"I want to go to Japan!"
ラーメンを食べたい。
(Rāmen o tabetai.)
"I want to eat ramen."Unlike English, where we say “I want to eat” using a separate verb (“want”), Japanese expresses this meaning by changing the verb itself into the たい form.
How to Conjugate Verbs into the たい Form
To form the たい version of a verb, follow these steps:
る-verbs (Ichidan verbs)
- Remove る from the dictionary form.
- Add たい.
| Verb (Dictionary) | Verb Stem | たい Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 食べる (taberu) | 食べ (tabe) | 食べたい (tabetai) | “Want to eat” |
| 見る (miru) | 見 (mi) | 見たい (mitai) | “Want to see” |
う-verbs (Godan verbs)
- Change the う-ending to い.
- Add たい.
| Verb (Dictionary) | Stem | たい Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 行く (iku) | 行き (iki) | 行きたい (ikitai) | “Want to go” |
| 話す (hanasu) | 話し (hanashi) | 話したい (hanashitai) | “Want to talk” |
| 飲む (nomu) | 飲み (nomi) | 飲みたい (nomitai) | “Want to drink” |
Irregular Verbs
There are only two irregular verbs in Japanese:
| Verb (Dictionary) | たい Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| する (suru) | したい (shitai) | “Want to do” |
| 来る (kuru) | 来たい (kitai) | “Want to come” (rarely used) |
来たい (kitai) is not commonly used. Instead, Japanese speakers use 行きたい (ikitai, “want to go”) or 来てもらいたい (kite moraitai, “I want someone to come”).
したい is often used with する verbs (verbs derived from nouns + する, like 勉強する “to study” → 勉強したい “want to study”).
たい in Different Tenses and Politeness Levels
| Tense/Politeness | たい Form | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present (casual) | 食べたい | ケーキ食べたい！ | “I want to eat cake!” |
| Present (polite) | 食べたいです | ケーキ食べたいです。 | “I want to eat cake.” |
| Past (casual) | 食べたかった | 昨日ラーメン食べたかった。 | “I wanted to eat ramen yesterday.” |
| Past (polite) | 食べたかったです | 昨日ラーメン食べたかったです。 | “I wanted to eat ramen yesterday.” |
| Negative (casual) | 食べたくない | 野菜食べたくない。 | “I don’t want to eat vegetables.” |
| Negative (polite) | 食べたくないです | 野菜食べたくないです。 | “I don’t want to eat vegetables.” |
How to Use the たい Form in Sentences
Using たい with Objects (を / が)
Both を and が can be used with the たい form. The difference is subtle:
ラーメンを食べたい。
(Rāmen o tabetai.)
"I want to eat ramen." (More common in daily speech)
ラーメンが食べたい。
(Rāmen ga tabetai.)
"I want to eat ramen." (Slightly emphasizes the desire)を is more common, but が is used when focusing on the object of desire.
Asking Someone Else About Their Desires
When asking what someone else wants to do, use たいですか？
どこに行きたいですか？
(Doko ni ikitai desu ka?)
"Where do you want to go?"Talking About Third-Person Desires (たい → たがる)
Japanese avoids directly stating someone else’s feelings. Instead of たい, use たがる when talking about what another person wants.
彼は日本に行きたがっている。
(Kare wa Nihon ni ikitagatte iru.)
"He wants to go to Japan."
彼女はケーキを食べたがっている。
(Kanojo wa kēki o tabetagatte iru.)
"She wants to eat cake."たがる is only used in the third person, and it must be in the continuous form (たがっている).