In Japanese, the phrases "I want to…" and "I would like to…" are usually the same:

Verb stem (remove ます【masu】from the ます-form) + たい【tai】 + です【desu】

I.e. remove ます【masu】from the ます-form and add たいです【tai desu】.

This structure expresses the desire to do something. Depending on the context, it can mean "I want to" or "I would like to."

For example, if you want to say "I want to eat," start with 食べます【たべます, tabemasu】, the -ます form of the verb "to eat." Remove ます【masu】and add たいです【tai desu】.

食べます【たべます, tabemasu】 → 食べたいです【たべたいです, tabetai desu】

Here, you get "I want to eat" or "I would like to eat," depending on the context.

Let's look at some more examples:

How do you make 〜たい【-tai】negative?

You can make 〜たい【-tai】negative in the same way as with adjectives ending in -い. Replace the final い with くない and keep です.

This gives you the following structure:

Verb stem (remove ます【masu】from the ます-form) + たくない【takunai】 + です【desu】

For example:

もっと 知り【しり】たいですか。
【Motto shiritai desu ka.】
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Frequently asked questions about saying "I want to" in Japanese

Are the phrases "I want to" and "I would like to" the same in Japanese?

Yes. In Japanese, "I want to do something" and "I would like to do something" usually follow the same structure: 〜たいです【-tai desu】. A single Japanese expression can translate as either "I want to" or "I would like to" in English, depending on the context and the tone that sounds most natural.

How do you say "I don't want to" in Japanese?

You can use the structure 〜たくないです【-takunai desu】. For example, 食べたくないです【たべたくないです, tabetakunai desu】means "I don't want to eat." It is a common way to say that you don't want to do something, using the polite です form.

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