How to Say ‘Want to do / would like to’ in Japanese
したいです
shi tai desu
[shee tie dess]
💬 Usage Tip: [したいです] attaches to the verb stem to mean "want to do" or, more politely in service situations, "would like to." You can swap in other verbs the same way: [聞きたいです] "I'd like to ask," [行きたいです] "I'd like to go."
Phrase Breakdown
し
shi
[shee]
do; make
The stem of する, meaning to do. Here it combines with たい to express wanting to do something.
予約ししたいです。
I want to make a reservation.
たい
tai
[tie]
want to
Added to a verb stem to express the speaker’s desire to do something.
予約したいですね。
I’d like to make a reservation.
です
desu
[dess]
is; polite ending
A polite sentence ending often used to make statements sound formal and natural.
予約したいです。
I would like to make a reservation.
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