〜てみたい: Wanting to Try Doing Something (Meaning + Examples)
What it means
〜てみたい is how you say you want to try doing something — to attempt it and see what happens. It's built from two pieces you may already know: 〜てみる ("do something and see / try it out") and 〜たい ("want to do"). Put them together and you get "want to give it a try."
ヤッタンは日本に行ってみたいです。
ヤッタンは にほんに いってみたいです。
Yattan wants to try going to Japan.
一度、寿司を食べてみたい。
いちど、すしを たべてみたい。
I'd like to try eating sushi once.
一度 ('once') is a natural partner for てみたい.
モチはこのゲームをやってみたいそうです。
モチは このゲームを やってみたいそうです。
Mochi says she wants to try playing this game.
First, 〜てみる ("try doing")
Before the wanting part, here's the base pattern. 〜てみる is the て-form of a verb plus みる, and it means "do something and see" — try it out, give it a shot:
新しいラーメン屋で食べてみる。
あたらしい ラーメンやで たべてみる。
I'll try eating at the new ramen place.
食べてみる = try eating (and see how it is).
みる here comes from 見る ("to see"), but in this pattern it's written in kana. Once you add 〜たい to it, you move from trying to wanting to try.
How to form it
Take the て-form of a verb, add みたい:
| Verb | て-form | + みたい | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 行く (go) | 行って | 行ってみたい | want to try going |
| 食べる (eat) | 食べて | 食べてみたい | want to try eating |
| 着る (wear) | 着て | 着てみたい | want to try wearing |
| する (do) | して | してみたい | want to try doing |
Because the て-form is the engine here, getting it right matters — if the て-form trips you up, review the て-form first.
It conjugates like an い-adjective
The たい part behaves exactly like an い-adjective (just like 〜たい on its own). So you can make it negative, past, and polite:
| Form | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present | てみたい | 行ってみたい (want to try going) |
| Negative | てみたくない | 行ってみたくない (don't want to try going) |
| Past | てみたかった | 行ってみたかった (wanted to try going) |
| Polite | てみたいです | 行ってみたいです |
ヤッタンの弟はスキーをしてみたかったです。
ヤッタンの おとうとは スキーを してみたかったです。
Yattan's little brother wanted to try skiing.
先生はバンジージャンプはしてみたくないそうです。
せんせいは バンジージャンプは してみたくないそうです。
The teacher says she doesn't want to try bungee jumping.
A soft, polite way to express interest
Because 〜てみたい frames the action as just trying, it sounds gentle and curious rather than demanding. It's a friendly way to say you're interested in something new:
いつか、富士山に登ってみたいです。
いつか、ふじさんに のぼってみたいです。
Someday I'd like to try climbing Mt. Fuji.
いつか ('someday') + てみたい = a soft, hopeful wish.
Common mistakes
- Forgetting it's two parts. 〜てみたい = て-form + みる + たい. Don't drop the て: it's 食べてみたい, not 食べみたい.
- Conjugating the たい like a verb. It's an い-adjective: the negative is てみたくない, not てみみません.
- Mixing up みたい the suffix with みたい "looks like." Here みたい comes from みる ("try"); it is not the "seems like / looks like" みたい. The て-form before it is your clue.
- Adding を to する. "Want to try studying" is 勉強してみたい, not 勉強をしてみたい when みる is attached.
Quick recap
- 〜てみたい = want to try doing something.
- It's 〜てみる ("try doing") + 〜たい ("want to").
- Form it from the verb's て-form + みたい.
- It conjugates like an い-adjective: てみたくない, てみたかった.
Your turn
Choose the correct 〜てみたい form for each verb.
Start the 5-question drill →Take the full N5 〜てみたい drill →
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between 〜てみる and 〜てみたい?
〜てみる means 'do something and see / try it out' (新しい店で食べてみる = I'll try eating at the new place). Adding 〜たい turns it into 'want to try': 食べてみたい = I want to try eating.
How do I make 〜てみたい negative or past?
The たい part is an い-adjective, so: negative is 〜てみたくない (don't want to try), and past is 〜てみたかった (wanted to try).
Is the みたい in 〜てみたい the same as 'looks like'?
No. This みたい comes from みる ('to see/try'), so it means 'want to try.' The 'looks like / seems' みたい attaches to nouns and plain forms, not to a て-form.
Why is みる written in kana here?
Although it comes from 見る ('to see'), when みる is used as this helper meaning 'try,' it's conventionally written in hiragana: 食べてみる, not 食べて見る.