Lesson 8: Likes & Wants (好き・嫌い / ～たい / 欲しい)

Expressing Likes and Dislikes

In Japanese,
好すき -> like
and
嫌きらい -> dislike
behave similarly to な-adjectives, describing your feelings toward a noun. The particle が highlights or emphasizes the thing you like or dislike.

Basic Patterns:

• Noun + が好すきです → "I like [noun]."
• Noun + が嫌きらいです → "I dislike [noun]."

Conjugation Patterns:

Present Positive

Pattern:
Noun + 好すきです / 嫌きらいです
Examples:
犬いぬが好すきです
Inu ga suki desu
"I like dogs."

納豆なっとうが嫌きらいです
Nattō ga kirai desu
"I dislike natto."

Present Negative

Pattern:
Noun + が好すきではありません /
が嫌きらいではありません
Examples:
魚さかなが好すきではありません
Sakana ga suki dewa arimasen
"I don't like fish."

音楽おんがくが嫌きらいではありません
Ongaku ga kirai dewa arimasen
"I don't dislike music."

Past Positive

Pattern:
Noun + が好すきでした / が嫌きらいでした
Examples:
野球やきゅうが好すきでした
Yakyū ga suki deshita
"I liked baseball."

宿題しゅくだいが嫌きらいでした
Shukudai ga kirai deshita
"I disliked homework."

Past Negative

Pattern:
Noun + が好すきではありませんでした /
が嫌きらいではありませんでした
Examples:
コーヒー が好すきではありませんでした
Kōhī ga suki dewa arimasen deshita
"I didn't like coffee."

映画えいがが嫌きらいではありませんでした
Eiga ga kirai dewa arimasen deshita
"I didn't dislike movies."

Example Sentences for Likes/Dislikes

Cultural Note:
Saying
嫌きらい
directly can sound strong in Japanese culture.
To soften it, you might say
あまり好すきではありません
"I don't really like it".

On the other hand,
大好だいすき
daisuki
means "really like/love," and
大嫌だいきらい
daikirai means "really hate."
For example:
猫ねこが大好だいすきです
"I really love cats."

In general, Japanese communication tends to avoid strong negative expressions, so it's often better to use softer expressions when indicating dislike.

Expressing Wants for Actions (Verb Stem + たい Form)

To say you want to do something, attach たい to the verb stem. This たい form behaves like an い-adjective, so it conjugates similarly to
高たかい → 高たかくない, etc.

Basic Pattern:

Verb Stem + たいです → "I want to [do something]."

How to Form the たい Form:

1. Take the verb in its ます form e.g.,
   食たべます
2. Remove the ます ending to get the verb stem e.g.,
   食たべ
3. Add たい to create the "want to" form e.g.,
   食たべたい
4. Add です for politeness e.g.,
   食たべたいです

Conjugation Patterns (Using

食たべたい
as an example):

Present Positive

Pattern: たいです
Example:
食たべたいです
Tabetai desu
"I want to eat"

Present Negative

Pattern: たくないです
Example:
食たべたくないです
Tabetaku nai desu
"I don't want to eat"

Past Positive

Pattern: たかったです
Example:
食たべたかったです
Tabetakatta desu
"I wanted to eat"

Past Negative

Pattern: たくなかったです
Example:
食たべたくなかったです
Tabetaku nakatta desu
"I didn't want to eat"

Example Sentences for たい Form

Plain Form Usage:
In casual speech, people often drop です and just say
思おもいます
or
食たべたい.
In polite settings, it's safer to say 〜たいです.

Cultural Note:
When expressing desires in Japanese, it's common to be indirect rather than assertive.
Adding phrases like
〜と思います
("I think I want to...")
or using the question form
〜たいんですが
("I was thinking I might want to...")
softens the expression and sounds more polite. This reflects the Japanese cultural value of considering how your desires might affect others.

Advanced Note:
For third-person wants ("He/She wants..."), Japanese typically uses
たがる instead of たい, e.g.,
行いきたがっている ("He wants to go").
This is because たい is primarily used for expressing your own desires.

Expressing Wants for Objects

When you want a thing (not an action), use
欲ほしい
(欲ほしいです) in polite speech.
It's an い-adjective, so it follows the same conjugation patterns you learned in Lesson 6.

Basic Pattern:

Noun + が欲ほしいです → "I want [noun]."

Conjugation Patterns with 欲ほしい:

Present Positive

Pattern: が欲ほしいです
Example:
新あたらしい車くるまが欲ほしいです
Atarashii kuruma ga hoshii desu
"I want a new car"

Present Negative

Pattern: が欲ほしくないです
Example:
新あたらしい車くるまが欲ほしくないです
Atarashii kuruma ga hoshiku nai desu
"I don't want a new car"

Past Positive

Pattern: が欲ほしかったです
Example:
新あたらしい車くるまが欲ほしかったです
Atarashii kuruma ga hoshikatta desu
"I wanted a new car"

Past Negative

Pattern: が欲ほしくなかったです
Example:
新あたらしい車くるまが欲ほしくなかったです
Atarashii kuruma ga hoshiku nakatta desu
"I didn't want a new car"

Example Sentences for 欲ほしい

Comparing 〜たい and が欲ほしい

For actions (want to DO)

Pattern: Verb + たい
Example:
走はしりたいです
Hashiritai desu
"I want to run"

For objects (want a THING)

Pattern: Noun + が欲ほしい
Example:
靴くつが欲ほしいです
Kutsu ga hoshii desu
"I want shoes"

Cultural Note:
Saying "I want ___" directly can sound demanding in Japanese culture. People often soften these expressions with phrases like:

〜と思おもっています
=> "I'm thinking of…"
例: 日本にほんに行いきたいと思っています
(I'm thinking about wanting to go to Japan)

〜んですが… => "I would like... but..."
例: これが欲ほしいんですが…
(I would like this, but...)

Using these softening expressions shows consideration for others and is considered more polite and appropriate in many situations.

Asking Questions About Preferences

Now that you know how to express your own likes and wants, it's important to learn how to ask others about their preferences. This is a common and useful aspect of conversation in Japanese.

Common Question Patterns:

For Likes/Dislikes:

• 〜が好すきですか？
  "Do you like...?"
• 〜が嫌きらいですか？
  "Do you dislike...?"

For Wanting to Do Something:

• 〜たいですか？
  "Do you want to...?"
• 何なにをしたいですか？
  "What do you want to do?"

For Wanting Objects:

• 何なにが欲ほしいですか？
  "What do you want (to have)?"
• これが欲ほしいですか？
  "Do you want this?"

Example Questions

Sample Responses

Cultural Note:
In Japanese conversation, asking directly about someone's preferences can be a good way to show interest in them. However, be mindful that asking about what someone wants (especially material things) can sometimes be perceived as putting them on the spot.

In certain contexts, especially business settings, Japanese people might respond modestly even when they do like or want something. For example, if offered a gift, they might initially say "I shouldn't..."
遠慮えんりょします
out of politeness, even if they would like to accept it.

Putting It All Together: Expressing Preferences

Let's combine what we've learned to express a range of preferences and desires in Japanese. These patterns are essential for everyday conversation.

Common Expressions for Preferences

Practice Dialogue: Weekend Plans

A: 週末しゅうまつは何なにをしたいですか？
(Shūmatsu wa nani o shitai desu ka?)
("What do you want to do on the weekend?")

B: 映画えいがを見みたいです。
山田やまださんは？
(Eiga o mitai desu. Yamada-san wa?)
("I want to watch a movie. How about you, Yamada-san?")

A: わたしは公園こうえんに行いきたいです。
山下やましたさんは映画えいがが好すきですか？
(Watashi wa kōen ni ikitai desu. Yamashita-san wa eiga ga suki desu ka?)
("I want to go to the park. Do you like movies, Yamashita-san?")

B: はい、映画えいがが大好だいすきです。
特とくにアクション映画えいがが好すきです。
(Hai, eiga ga daisuki desu. Toku ni akushon eiga ga suki desu.)
("Yes, I really love movies. Especially action movies.")

A: わたしは恋愛れんあい映画えいがが好すきです。
ホラー映画えいがは嫌きらいです。
(Watashi wa ren'ai eiga ga suki desu. Horā eiga wa kirai desu.)
("I like romance movies. I dislike horror movies.")

B: 新あたらしい恋愛れんあい映画えいがを見みたいですか？
(Atarashii ren'ai eiga o mitai desu ka?)
("Do you want to watch a new romance movie?")

A: はい、見みたいです。
映画館えいがかんのチケットが欲ほしいです。
(Hai, mitai desu. Eigakan no chiketto ga hoshii desu.)
("Yes, I want to watch it. I want movie theater tickets.")

Try practicing this dialogue with a partner, substituting your own preferences!

Cultural Note:
In Japanese culture, knowing someone's preferences (好み/このみ) is considered important for maintaining good relationships. This is why questions about likes and dislikes are common in Japanese conversation. When organizing social events, Japanese people often try to accommodate everyone's preferences rather than making decisions based on majority rule, which reflects the culture's emphasis on group harmony.

Degree Expressions with Likes and Wants

In Japanese, you can express different degrees of liking, disliking, or wanting. These expressions add nuance and precision to your communication.

Intensifiers(Degrees) for Likes/Dislikes

Really like/Really dislike

Pattern: 大だい+好すき/嫌きらい
Example:
猫ねこが大好だいすきです
Neko ga daisuki desu
"I really love cats"

Very much like/dislike

Pattern: とても+好すき/嫌きらい
Example:
とても好すきです
Totemo suki desu
"I like it very much"

Not really like/dislike

Pattern: あまり+好すき/嫌きらい+ない
Example:
あまり好すきではありません
Amari suki dewa arimasen
"I don't really like it"

Not at all like/dislike

Pattern: 全然ぜんぜん+好すき/嫌きらい+ない
Example:
全然ぜんぜん好すきではありません
Zenzen suki dewa arimasen
"I don't like it at all"

Intensifiers(Degrees) for Wants

Really want to/Really want

Pattern: とても+たい/欲ほしい
Example:
とても行いきたいです
Totemo ikitai desu
"I really want to go"

Kind of want to/want

Pattern: 少すこし+たい/欲ほしい
Example:
少すこし食たべたいです
Sukoshi tabetai desu
"I kind of want to eat"

Not really want to/want

Pattern: あまり+たい/欲ほしい+ない
Example:
あまり行いきたくないです
Amari ikitaku nai desu
"I don't really want to go"

Not at all want to/want

Pattern: 全然ぜんぜん+たい/欲ほしい+ない
Example:
全然ぜんぜん欲ほしくないです
Zenzen hoshiku nai desu
"I don't want it at all"

Examples with Degree Expressions

Cultural Note:
Japanese people often use subtle expressions rather than strong intensifiers, especially when expressing negative opinions. Using degree expressions appropriately shows cultural sensitivity.
For example, saying
あまり好すきではありません
("I don't really like it")
is often preferred over
嫌きらいです
("I dislike it")
in many social situations.