How to Say ‘Areas you don't want touched’ in Japanese
触らないでほしいところ
sawara nai de hoshii tokoro
[sah-WAH-rah nai deh hoh-shee to-ko-ro]
💬 Usage Tip: 〜ないでほしい means "want someone not to do": 触る "touch" becomes 触らないでほしい. The same pattern works for other actions, e.g. 押さないでほしい "want you not to press".
Phrase Breakdown
触らないで
sawara nai de
without touching / please don't touch
Negative te-form of 触る (sawaru, to touch). Pronounced 'sa-wa-ra-nai-de'.
作品に触らないでください。
Please don't touch the artwork.
Words in this phrase
触ら
sawara
[sah-WAH-rah]
touch (negative stem)
Stem of 触る (to touch), used before ない.
作品に触らないでください。
Please don't touch the artwork.
ない
nai
[nai]
not
Negative ending meaning “not.” It makes the verb before it negative.
ここでさわらないでね。
Please don't touch it here.
で
de
[deh]
(connects ない to a request)
With ない it forms ないで, meaning 'without doing / not doing'.
心配しないでください。
Please don't worry.
ほしいところ
hoshii tokoro
a place you want (it) to be
〜てほしい means 'want someone to do'. ところ means 'place' or 'spot'. Pronounced 'ho-shii to-ko-ro'.
直してほしいところがあります。
There is a part I'd like you to fix.
Words in this phrase
ほしい
hoshii
[hoh-shee]
want someone to; want
ほしい after a te-form means the speaker wants someone else to do something.
次は決めてほしい。
I want them to score next time.
ところ
tokoro
[to-ko-ro]
place
Denotes a location or an aspect.
これはいいところです。
This is a good place.
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