How to tell them apart
たい attaches to the masu stem of a verb to express wanting to do that action, as in 食べたい. ほしい follows a noun marked with が to express wanting that thing, as in ケーキがほしい. The split is action versus thing, so do not use を with ほしい and do not attach たい directly to a noun.
- たい Use たい to express wanting to do an action expressed by a verb.
- 欲しい・ほしい Use ほしい to express wanting to have a thing expressed by a noun.
| Grammar point | Meaning | JLPT level |
|---|---|---|
| たい tai | to want to do something | N5 |
| 欲しい・ほしい shii hoshii | To desire something, to want an object or item | N5 |
たい tai
to want to do something
The suffix たい expresses that the speaker wants to do the action of the verb. It attaches to the masu-stem, as in 食べたい or 行きたい, and conjugates like an i-adjective, so the negative is たくない and the past is たかった. You can use たいですか to ask the listener what they want to do, but statements about a third person usually require forms like たがる or たいと言っている.
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もっとやりたいことがある。
There's something else I want to do.
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先生になりたいんだ。
I'd like to be a teacher.
欲しい・ほしい shii hoshii
To desire something, to want an object or item
ほしい expresses that the speaker wants a thing, such as an object, food, time, or item. It behaves as an i-adjective and follows the wanted noun, usually marked with が as in 車がほしい, and it conjugates as ほしくない for the negative and ほしかった for the past. It normally states the speaker's own desire, though it can ask about the listener's desire in questions like ほしい?, and が is often dropped in casual speech.
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デザートにアイスクリームがほしい。
I want ice cream for dessert.
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お金ではなくて、時間がほしい。
I want time instead of money.
たい and 欲しい・ほしい are both JLPT N5 grammar points that Japanese learners often mix up. This page compares them side by side on meanings, usage and example sentences, so you can tell them apart.