〜がほしい: How to Say You Want Something (Meaning + Examples)
The thing you want takes が
Reach for ほしい when the thing you want is an object — a noun, not an action. That noun is marked with が, and ほしい itself carries the "want":
ヤッタンは新しい車がほしいです。
ヤッタンは あたらしい くるまが ほしいです。
Yattan wants a new car.
モチ、誕生日に何がほしいですか。
モチ、たんじょうびに なにが ほしいですか。
Mochi, what do you want for your birthday?
Question word 何 takes が — natural with ほしい.
ヤッタンは時間がほしい。
ヤッタンは じかんが ほしい。
Yattan wants time.
Conjugate it like an い-adjective
Even though "want" feels like a verb, ほしい inflects exactly like any い-adjective — that mismatch is what trips learners up, so it's worth drilling the forms:
| Form | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present | ほしい | 車がほしい |
| Negative | ほしくない | 何もほしくない (I don't want anything) |
| Past | ほしかった | あれがほしかった (I wanted that) |
| Polite | ほしいです | 車がほしいです |
Yourself vs. someone else: ほしい or ほしがる
ほしい states your own desire (or the listener's, when you ask a question). Japanese won't let you flatly declare what's in a third person's head, so it switches to ほしがる — "shows signs of wanting" — exactly the way 〜たい becomes 〜たがる:
| Form | Core idea | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ほしい | your own wish (or listener's, in a question) | (私は) 車がほしい = I want a car |
| ほしがる | a third person's visible wish | 弟は車をほしがっている = My brother wants a car |
Watch the particle shift too: with ほしがる the wanted object often takes を (車をほしがる).
Wanting an action done: 〜てほしい
To want someone else to do something, attach ほしい to that verb's て-form, giving 〜てほしい:
ヤッタンはモチに弟の世話をしてほしい。
ヤッタンは モチに おとうとの せわを して ほしい。
Yattan wants Mochi to look after his little brother.
してほしい = want (someone) to do.
The person you want to act is usually marked with に: 田中さんに来てほしい ("I want Tanaka to come").
Thing or action? ほしい vs たい
English hides the split behind one word, "want," so keep the target in mind: is it a thing or an action?
- ほしい = want a thing (noun): ケーキがほしい ("I want cake").
- 〜たい = want to do (verb): ケーキを食べたい ("I want to eat cake").
A noun points you to ほしい; an action points you to 〜たい. And two habits cause most ほしい errors: swapping in を for が (it's 水がほしい), or reaching for ほしい when you actually mean an action — "I want to rest" is 休みたい, never 休みがほしい.
The essentials
- ほしい = want a thing; the thing takes が.
- It's an い-adjective: ほしくない, ほしかった.
- Third person → ほしがる; want someone to act → 〜てほしい.
- Want an action? Use 〜たい.
Practice it
Choose the correct use of ほしい / がほしい.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
Choose the grammar pattern that best completes the sentence.
私が留守の間あなたのうちに犬の世話をして＿＿＿。
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between ほしい and たい?
ほしい is for wanting a thing (a noun): 水がほしい. たい is for wanting to do an action (a verb): 水が飲みたい. Same English 'want,' different target.
Which particle goes with ほしい?
The thing you want takes が: 新しい車がほしい. (For a third person with ほしがる, the object often takes を instead.)
How do I say someone else wants something?
Use ほしがる for a third person's visible desire: 子どもがおもちゃをほしがっている ('the child wants the toy'). ほしい alone is for yourself or the listener.
What does 〜てほしい mean?
It means you want someone to do something: 手伝ってほしい ('I want you to help'). The person is usually marked with に.
Where 〜がほしい fits
Don't confuse it with
- 〜たい · N5 — 〜たい attaches to a verb stem to say what you want to do. Learn the formation, why it conjugates like an i-adjective, the が/を switch, how to talk about other people's wants (たがる), and see 12 examples.
Once this clicks, go on to
- 〜みたい · N4 — 〜みたい is the casual way to say something 'seems' or 'looks like.' Learn its two jobs — conjecture and likeness — plus the easy attachment rules and みたいに/みたいな.
- 〜てもらう · N5 — 〜てもらう means you receive the favor of someone doing something for you: the receiver is the subject, the doer takes に. Learn formation, the polite ていただく, and how it differs from てくれる and てあげる.
- 〜ておく · N4 — 〜ておく means doing something in advance or leaving something as it is. Learn the formation from the て-form, the past 〜ておいた, 〜ておきたい, and the casual 〜とく contraction.
More N5 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- 〜てみたい — 〜てみたい means you want to try doing something: 日本に行ってみたい. Learn how it combines 〜てみる ('try doing') and 〜たい ('want'), plus how to conjugate it.
- 〜つもり — つもり expresses a personal plan or intention: 行くつもりです ('I plan to go'). Learn the dictionary-form pattern, negatives, つもりだった, and how it differs from よてい and 〜よう.
- だけ — だけ means 'only' or 'just' — water だけ, one だけ, look だけ. Learn how to attach it to nouns, numbers, and verbs, what happens to を and が, and how it differs from しか〜ない.
- も — The particle も means 'also/too' and replaces は, が, or を. Learn 〜も〜も ('both…and'/'neither…nor') and も with numbers for 'as many as' or 'not even.'
- 〜てあげる — 〜てあげる means you do an action FOR someone as a favour, from the giver's side. Learn the て-form + あげる pattern, the に particle, the さしあげる/やる politeness levels, and the condescension trap.