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がほしい (ga hoshii) Meaning Japanese Grammar - Want

Author Anna Baffa Volpe for article 'がほしい (ga hoshii) Meaning Japanese Grammar - Want'

Anna Baffa Volpe

The expression がほしい (ga hoshii) means desire something, want something, wish for.

It is one of the expressions related to the verb to want something that is expressed by a noun.

()しい is used for the first person, if the desire is referred to other persons, we use the verb ()しがる.

In this post we learn more about the meaning of が()しい, how it is formed and when が()しい is used through real example sentences.


Desire something

()しい is used in the first person to express what the subject wants and desires and is joined exclusively to nouns.

In some cases this expression is also translated: need something.

もう(いち)()チャンスが()しい。

I want another chance.

How がほしい is formed

This expression is characterised:

Noun++欲しい

あのギターが()しいです。

I want that guitar.

欲しい is used to translate want something, if we want to express want to do something we use the form in たい.

(しゅう)(まつ)(えい)()をみたいです。

I want to watch a movie on weekends.

We used the suffix たい to express want to perform a certain action.

(たん)(じょう)()プレゼントに(ふく)()しいです。

I want some clothes for my birthday present.

We want clothes!
(ふく): clothes

(ふく)()しい!

We want clothes!

The particle が after the noun is omitted, because the context is colloquial and informal.

いくらほしいの?

How much do you need?

Negative form

The negative form is obtained with the negative of the い Adjective.

ほしい
ほし
ほし
ほしくない

The usage of the negative forms in Japanese is particular and some expressions are very strong and direct and it is often preferred to work around other ways of speaking and expressing ourselves.

Noun++欲しくない

()(ども)()しくない。

I don't want children.

As we can deduce, these are strong and resolute statements used depending on the situation and context.

  • From a Japanese picture book ()(ほん)
I want a big tree.
Transcription in Kanji: (おお)きな()()しい。

おおきなきがほしい。

I want a big tree.

()しがる: what others want

が欲しい refers to the first person. If, on the other hand, the desire concerns other people, we use the verb ()しがる with the suffix がる.

Noun++欲しがる

(はは)(あたら)しい(くるま)()しがっている。

My mother wants a new car.

Let's give them the food they want!
ほしがっている: they want

ほしがってるたべものあげよう!

Let's give them the food they want!

Again, the context is informal and the particle をof the object たべものを is omitted and the verb ends in てる instead of ている.

Examples of が()しい

(いぬ)()しいです。

I want a dog.

As we have seen in the previous examples, the polite form is obtained by adding the copula です to the adjective ()しい.

(くるま)(いえ)とどちらが()しいですか。

Which do you want, a car or a house?

(やす)みが()しいです。

I want a break.

In this last example the translation of ()しい indicates the need, the necessity of the subject.