How to Say ‘Want to keep it with me / at hand’ in Japanese
手元に残したい
temoto ni nokoshi tai
[teh-moh-toh nee noh-koh-shee tai]
💬 Usage Tip: [残したい] means "want to leave/keep remaining," so [手元に残したい] is "want to keep it with me." This is a good example of how Japanese often says "leave something in a state" where English would just say "keep."
Phrase Breakdown
手元
temoto
[teh-moh-toh]
at hand; with oneself
Means keeping something close to you rather than sending it away.
着替えは手元に残したいです。
I want to keep a change of clothes with me.
に
ni
[nee]
in; at; to
Particle indicating location or target state.
手元に置きたいです。
I want to keep it at hand.
残し
nokoshi
[noh-koh-shee]
leave; keep behind
Stem of 残す, meaning to leave something or keep it remaining.
荷物を手元に残したいです。
I want to keep the luggage with me.
たい
tai
[tai]
want to
Attached to a verb stem to express the speaker's desire to do something.
手元に残したいです。
I want to keep it with me.
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