What is ほしい?
ほしい (欲しい) means you want a thing. A new phone, some water, more time. It pairs with the たい form, which covers wanting to do something — together they handle almost everything you want to express as a beginner.
The split is clean:
- 水がほしい。— I want water. (a thing)
- 水が飲みたい。— I want to drink water. (an action)
Our lesson on likes and wants walks through both.
The Pattern: Noun + が + ほしい
The thing you want is marked with が, not を:
- 新しいパソコンがほしい。(I want a new computer.)
- 時間がほしい。(I want more time.)
を is the mark of a verb's object, and ほしい is not a verb — it is an い-adjective. ×パソコンをほしい is a very common beginner error.
In negative sentences は often replaces が: 何はほしくない sounds natural alongside 何も欲しくない.
It Conjugates Like an い-Adjective
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Non-past | ほしい | ほしくない |
| Past | ほしかった | ほしくなかった |
Add です for politeness: ほしいです / ほしくないです.
Only for Yourself
Like たい, ほしい describes your own desire. 田中さんは車がほしいです claims to know what is inside someone else's head.
For other people, use ほしがっている:
- 弟は新しいゲームをほしがっている。(My brother wants a new game.)
Note the particle change: ほしがる is a verb, so its object takes を, not が.
Asking is fine — 何がほしいですか is a normal question, since you are asking about the listener's own wish.
Don't Confuse It with てほしい
ほしい after a て form means something different — you want someone else to do something:
- 手伝ってほしい。(I want you to help.)
That is てほしい, an N4 pattern. Plain ほしい takes a noun; てほしい takes a verb.
A Note on Politeness
Stating flatly that you want something can sound direct in Japanese. In shops and requests, softer forms are more common:
- お水をください。(Water, please.)
- お水をいただけますか。(Could I have some water?)
Keep ほしい for talking about your wishes, not for ordering.