How to tell them apart
たい attaches to a verb stem and expresses wanting to perform an action, while ほしい takes a noun marked by が or を and expresses wanting to possess a thing. The core split is action versus object: 食べたい answers what you want to do, while ケーキがほしい answers what you want to have. Saying ケーキをほしい for an action or 食べたい for a noun is ungrammatical.
- たい Use たい when you want to do an action expressed by a verb.
- 欲しい・ほしい Use ほしい when you want to obtain or possess 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
たい expresses the speaker's desire to do something, meaning want to. It attaches to the masu-stem of a verb, as in 話したい or 言いたい, and can be followed by こと or なあ to form phrases like したいこと or したいなあ.
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したいことが出来なければ出来ることをしなさい。
When you can't do what you want, you do what you can.
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話したいことがあるのだけど。
I want to talk to you about something.
欲しい・ほしい shii hoshii
To desire something, to want an object or item
欲しい expresses wanting a thing, and it works like an i-adjective describing the desired item. The wanted object is marked with が (sometimes を), as in ＭＰ３プレーヤーがほしい. It can also modify a noun directly, as in 欲しいもの or 欲しい本, and it is used in casual questions like 欲しい人？
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ＭＰ３プレーヤーがほしい！
I want an MP3 player!
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ホットチョコレート欲しい人ー？
Who wants some hot chocolate?
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.