Hoshii is the Japanese i-adjective translated as ‘to want’, explained

How to say “want” in Japanese?

Japanese people would say “hoshii”. This is an i-adjective, but quite often translated into English as ‘to want’. In this blog post, I will explain this word and its major conjugations. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to use “hoshii” properly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “hoshii”
  • Example #1: how to say “want” in Japanese
• Nai form of “hoshii”
  • Example #2: how to say “not to want” in Japanese
• Ta form of “hoshii”
  • Example #3: how to say “wanted” in Japanese
• Te form of “hoshii”
  • Example #4: how to say “want and” in Japanese
• Ba form of “hoshii”
  • Example #5: how to say “if want” in Japanese
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “hoshii”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of “hoshii”.

• hoshii – 欲しい (ほしい) : an i-adjecitve in Japanese, but often translated into English as ‘to want’. Depending on the context, this can also mean ‘to need’.

Sometimes, parts of speech of words change when translated. “Hoshii” is a typical example, I think. In Japanese, it is an i-adjective, but corresponds well to the English verb, “want”. This might be confusing to Japanese learners. Fortunately, however, the role of “hoshii” is very similar to that of “want”. Let me explain how it works through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to say “want” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to make the subject word in the sentence.
• atarashii – 新しい (あたらしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘new’ in Japanese.
• kuruma – 車 (くるま) : a noun meaning ‘car’ in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after the noun phrase, “atarashii kuruma”, to make the object in the sentence.

This is a typical usage of “hoshii”. In this example, it follows the object in the sentence, “atarashii kuruma”, to mean ‘to want’. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of “hoshii” is very similar to that of “want”. It can express a feeling of wanting something.

In the rest part of this blog post, I will explain major conjugations of “hoshii”. The first one is “hoshikunai”.

Nai form of “hoshii”

Below are the definition and meaning of “hoshikunai”.

• hoshikunai – 欲しくない (ほしくない) : the nai form of “hoshii”, meaning ‘not to want’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “hoshikunai” consists of the following two parts:

• hoshiku – 欲しく (ほしくて) : one conjugation of “hoshii”. This can have a smooth connection with “nai”.
• nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning.

From these two components, we can understand that “hoshikunai” is literally the nai form of “hoshii” and means ‘not to want’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this nai form through the example sentence below.

Example #2: how to say “not to want” in Japanese

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “hoshikunai”. When we want to mean ‘not to want’ in Japanese, this nai form is a very good option.

Ta form of “hoshii”

Below are the definition and meaning of “hoshikatta”.

• hoshikatta – 欲しかった (ほしかった) : the ta form of “hoshii”, meaning ‘wanted’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “hoshikatta” consists of the following two parts:

• hoshikat – 欲しかっ (ほしかっ) : one conjugation of “hoshii”. This can have a smooth connection with “ta”.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its ta form.

From these two components, we can understand that “hoshikatta” is literally the ta form of “hoshii”. In Japanese, ta forms of words can work as their past tense forms. So, we can say “hoshikatta” to mean ‘wanted’ in Japanese. Let me explain its usage through the example sentence below.

Example #3: how to say “wanted” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
• mo – も : a binding particle making the subject word or the object word in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘too’, ‘also’, or ‘as well’. In the example, this follows “kare” to make the subject word in the sentence with adding the meaning of ‘too’.

This is a typical usage of “hoshikatta”. When we want to say “wanted” in Japanese, this ta form is a good option.

Te form of “hoshii”

Below are the definition and meaning of “hoshikute”.

• hoshikute – 欲しくて (ほしくて) : the te form of “hoshii”, meaning ‘to want’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “hoshikute” consists of the following two parts:

• hoshiku – 欲しく (ほしく) : one conjugation of “hoshii”. This can have a smooth connection with “te”.
• te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form.

From these two components, we can understand that “hoshikute” is literally the te form of “hoshii”. In Japanese, te forms of words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. Actually, “hoshikute” is very useful when we want to use “hoshii” before another adjective or a verb with a smooth connection. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #4: how to say “want and” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this follows “kare” to make its possessive case, “kare no”, which means ‘his’ in Japanese.
• urayamashii – 羨ましい (うらやましい) : an i-adjecitve meaning ‘jealous’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “hoshikute”. In this example, it has the smooth connection with “urayamashii”. When we want to use “hoshii” before another adjective or a verb with a smooth connection, its te form is very useful.

Ba form of “hoshii”

Below are the definition and meaning of “hoshikereba”.

• hoshikereba – 欲しければ (ほしければ) : the ba form of “hoshii”, working to make a conditional clause in a sentence with the meaning of ‘to want’.

Grammatically, “hoshikereba” consists of the following two parts:

• hoshikere – 欲しけれ (ほしけれ) : one conjugation of “hoshii”. This can have a smooth connection with “ba”.
• ba – ば : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its ba form.

From these two components, we can understand that “hoshikereba” is literally the ba form of “hoshii”. In Japanese, ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “hoshikereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with the meaning of ‘to want’. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #5: how to say “if want” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kono – この : a determiner used before a noun referring to a thing close to the speaker. In the example, this is used before “kuruma” to say “this car” in Japanese.
• kat – 買っ (かっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “kau”, which means ‘to buy’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• te – て : the same as used in “hoshikute”. In this example, this follows “kat” to make its te form, “kat te”. Verbs need to be changed to their te forms to be connected with “kudasai”.
• kudasai – ください : the command form of the verb, “kudasaru”, which means ‘to give’ in Japanese. When this follows a te-formed verb, however, it can work as an auxiliary verb to add the meaning of ‘please’ to the preceding verb.

This is a typical usage of “hoshikereba”. In the example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “kono kuruma ga hoshikereba”, which means ‘if you want this car’. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with the meaning of ‘to want’ in Japanese, this ba form is very useful.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained “hoshii” and its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• hoshii – 欲しい (ほしい) : an i-adjecitve in Japanese, but often translated into English as ‘to want’. Depending on the context, this can also mean ‘to need’.
• hoshikunai – 欲しくない (ほしくない) : the nai form of “hoshii”, meaning ‘not to want’ in Japanese.
• hoshikatta – 欲しかった (ほしかった) : the ta form of “hoshii”, meaning ‘wanted’ in Japanese.
• hoshikute – 欲しくて (ほしくて) : the te form of “hoshii”, meaning ‘to want’ in Japanese. When we want to use “hoshii” before another adjective or a verb with a smooth connection, this te form is useful.
• hoshikereba – 欲しければ (ほしければ) : the ba form of “hoshii”, working to make a conditional clause in a sentence with the meaning of ‘to want’.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.