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

What does “hoshii” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “hoshii” to mean ‘to want’ in Japanese. It is an i-adjective in Japanese, but often translated into English as ‘to want’. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is often used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain it together with its major conjugations. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners use “hoshii” more properly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “hoshii”
  • Example #1: how to say “want” in Japanese
• Hoshikunai: the nai form of “hoshii”
  • Example #2: how to say “not want” in Japanese
• Hoshikatta: the ta form of “hoshii”
  • Example #3: how to say “wanted” in Japanese
• Hoshikute: the te form of “hoshii”
  • Example #4: how to say “want and” in Japanese
• Hoshikereba: the ba form of “hoshii”
  • Example #5: how to say “if want” in Japanese
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “hoshii”

Let me start with the definition and meanings 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 and situation, this can also mean ‘to need’.

Parts of speech are not always the same in Japanese and English. “Hoshii” is one example. In Japanese, it is an i-adjective used to describe the desire of wanting something, but corresponds well to the English verb, “want”. This mismatch might be a bit confusing to Japanese learners, but fortunately their roles are very similar. Let me explain how to use this i-adjective 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 works after “watashi” to make the subject 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 plural. 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 “atarashii kuruma” to make the object in the sentence.

This is a typical usage of “hoshii”. In this example, it works together with the case particle, “ga”, to have the object. When we want to describe the desire of wanting something in Japanese, this i-adjective is always a very good option.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “hoshii” and how to use it through the example sentence. In the rest part of this blog post, I will explain its major conjugations. The first one is “hoshikunai”.

Hoshikunai: the 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”, which means ‘not to want’ in Japanese.

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

• hoshiku – 欲しく (ほしく) : 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. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this auxiliary verb is similar to that of “not” in English.

From these two parts, 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 form through the example sentence below.

Example #2: how to say “not 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.

Hoshikatta: the ta form of “hoshii”

Below are the definition and meanings of “hoshikatta”.

• hoshikatta – 欲しかった (ほしかった) : the ta form of “hoshii”, which means ‘wanted’, ‘have wanted’, or such 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 past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “hoshikatta” is literally the ta form of “hoshii” and means ‘wanted’, ‘have wanted’, or such in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
• chikara – 力 (ちから) : a noun meaning ‘power’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “hoshikatta”. When we want to use the past tense form of “hoshii”, this ta form is the best option.

Hoshikute: the 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”, which means ‘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 parts, we can understand that “hoshikute” is literally the te form of “hoshii”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “hoshikute” is very useful when we want to use “hoshii” in front of another adjective, a verb, or an auxiliary verb. 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.

• ore – 俺 (おれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ rudely in Japanese.
• omae – お前 (おまえ) : a pronoun meaning ‘you’ rudely in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “omae” to make its possessive case, “omae no”, which means ‘your’ in Japanese.
• urayamashii – 羨ましい (うらやましい) : an i-adjecitve meaning ‘jealous’ or such 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” in front of another adjective like this, its te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.

Hoshikereba: the ba form of “hoshii”

Lastly, let me explain the definition and meaning of “hoshikereba”.

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

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 parts, we can understand that “hoshikereba” is literally the ba form of “hoshii”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “hoshikereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to want’ in Japanese. 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 is used after “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 : one conjugation of the verb, “kudasaru”, which means ‘to give’ or such in Japanese. When this follows a verb, however, this can work like an auxiliary verb to add the meaning of ‘please’ in Japanese. In the example, this works like an auxiliary verb after “kat te” to add the meaning of ‘please’.

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’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to want’ in Japanese, this ba form is a very good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “hoshii” together with 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 and situation, this can also mean ‘to need’.
• hoshikunai – 欲しくない (ほしくない) : the nai form of “hoshii”, which means ‘not to want’ in Japanese.
• hoshikatta – 欲しかった (ほしかった) : the ta form of “hoshii”, which means ‘wanted’, ‘have wanted’, or such in Japanese.
• hoshikute – 欲しくて (ほしくて) : the te form of “hoshii”, which means ‘to want’ in Japanese. When we want to use “hoshii” in front of another adjective, this te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
• hoshikereba – 欲しければ (ほしければ) : the ba form of “hoshii”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to want’ in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.