How do you say "I'd like to make a reservation." in Japanese?

"I'd like to make a reservation." in Japanese is "予約したいです。". This phrase is commonly used in Japan.

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How to Say ‘I'd like to make a reservation.’ in Japanese

Q: What does "予約したいです。" mean in English?

"予約したいです。" means "I'd like to make a reservation." in English. Usage tip: In [予約したいです], the thing you want to do comes first, and [したいです] softens it into "I'd like to…" rather than a blunt "I want to…". The same pattern works with many nouns plus [する]: [変更したいです] "I'd like to make a change."

予約したいです。

yoyaku shi tai desu

[yoh-yah-koo shee tie dess]

💬 Usage Tip: In [予約したいです], the thing you want to do comes first, and [したいです] softens it into "I'd like to…" rather than a blunt "I want to…". The same pattern works with many nouns plus [する]: [変更したいです] "I'd like to make a change."

Phrase Breakdown

予約

yoyaku

[yoh-yah-koo]

reservation

A booking or reservation, especially for a restaurant or service.

Example

今夜の予約をしたいです。

I would like to make a reservation for tonight.

したいです

shi tai desu

want to do

The polite way to say you want to do something; attach it to a noun/verb stem depending on context.

Example

予約したいです。

I want to make a reservation.

Words in this phrase

し

shi

[shee]

do; make

The stem used with たい here to mean want to do or want to make.

Example

予約したいです。

I would like to make a reservation.

たい

tai

[tie]

want to

Shows desire to do the action of the verb.

Example

来週予約したいです。

I’d like to make a reservation for next week.

です

desu

[dess]

is; polite ending

Makes the expression polite and suitable for speaking to restaurant staff.

Example

四人で予約したいです。

I’d like to make a reservation for four people.

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