JLPT N5 · Likes, wants and can · 31 of 60

Wanting something: ほしいです

～がほしいです ~ ga hoshii desu Want something

ほしい is an い-adjective for things you want: 新しいパソコンがほしいです, I want a new computer. The thing you want takes が.

Level: JLPT N5, beginner
Type: Likes, wants and can
English links: want + noun, articles, third person -s, polite requests

What it means

ほしい means "wanted" or "desired". Like 好き, it is an adjective, not a verb, so the thing you want takes が: 時間がほしいです (I want more time). It is an い-adjective, so it changes the same way as 高い: ほしくないです (don't want), ほしかったです (wanted).

ほしい is for things, not actions. For "want to do", Japanese uses ～たい, which has its own page. It also speaks only for yourself, or asks about the listener. For another person, Japanese uses a different form, ほしがっています, which comes later at N4.

Be careful with 何がほしいですか to a senior colleague or a guest. It can sound too direct. In the staff room, you will hear offers like コーヒーはいかがですか (How about some coffee?) instead.

How to build it

Pattern	How it works
(私は) + thing + がほしいです (watashi wa) + thing + ga hoshii desu	I want something. The thing takes が.
Thing + がほしくないです / ほしくありません thing + ga hoshiku nai desu / hoshiku arimasen	Negative. Often は replaces が here for contrast.
ほしい → ほしかったです hoshii → hoshikatta desu	Past: wanted.
何がほしいですか nani ga hoshii desu ka	What do you want? Fine with friends and children.

Examples

新しいパソコンがほしいです。 atarashii pasokon ga hoshii desu. I want a new computer.
今、何がいちばんほしいですか。 ima, nani ga ichiban hoshii desu ka. What do you want most right now?
もっと時間がほしいです。 motto jikan ga hoshii desu. I want more time.
車はほしくないです。 kuruma wa hoshiku nai desu. I don't want a car.
子どものとき、犬がほしかったです。 kodomo no toki, inu ga hoshikatta desu. When I was a child, I wanted a dog.

How English says it

"Want" is a verb: "I want a new computer". It takes "do" in questions and negatives, and "-s" with he, she and it: "She wants a dog". The thing you want needs "a", "the", "some" or a plural.

English, like Japanese, can sound blunt with "want". In shops and restaurants, "I'd like ..." or "Could I have ...?" is more polite. English uses "want" freely for other people, though: "My sister wants a phone".

Why it can make English hard

Japanese has no articles, so "I want new bag" is very common.
ほしいです is adjective + です, so some students add "am": "I am want".
Japanese verbs and adjectives do not change for the person. Students often forget the "-s" in "she wants".
Students may use "I want ..." in every request, and it can sound rude to a native speaker.

Mistakes you will hear

I want new bag. I want a new bag. A singular countable noun needs "a".
I am want a dog. I want a dog. ほしいです feels like "be" + adjective. "Want" is a verb.
My sister want a phone. My sister wants a phone. Add "-s" for he, she and it.
I want water. Could I have some water, please? Grammatical, but blunt in a restaurant. Teach the polite request.

In the classroom

Use a birthday or Christmas wish list. Students write five things with "I want a ..." and read them to a partner. Check the articles.
Role-play a café. One student orders with "I'd like ..." or "Could I have ...?" Show that "I want" works at home but sounds rough at the counter.
Add a "he / she" round: students report their partner's wish list. "Ken wants a bike." The "-s" gets practice in context.

Practice

Try each one, then open it to check.

1. Fill the gap: 新しい靴＿ほしいです。 (I want new shoes.)

Answer: が

ほしい is an adjective, so the thing you want takes が.
2. Make it negative: ほしいです。

Answer: ほしくないです。 (or ほしくありません。)

ほしい is an い-adjective: drop い, add くない.
3. A student writes "He want a new game." Fix it.

Answer: He wants a new game.

"He" takes "wants" with "-s".
4. Translate: 犬がほしかったです。

Answer: I wanted a dog.

ほしかった is the past. English adds "a" to the singular noun.