“I want to learn Japanese”
Oh, hello!
Do you really want learn it? And how do you say that in Japanese? You say “Nihongo ga manabitai desu.” In Japanese, that would look like this: ๆฅๆฌ่ชใๅญฆใณใใใงใใ
In this article, you will indeed learn some Japanese.ย You will: โ learn how to say “I want to learn Japanese” in many ways, and โก actually get some ways to learn Japanese.
Ready?
Let’s jump into the “I want to learn Japanese” phrases first.
1. Nihongo wo manabitai desu.
- I want to learn Japanese.
- ๆฅๆฌ่ชใๅญฆใณใใใงใใ
- Nihongo wo manabitai desu.
Okay, so if you don’t already know, “Nihongo” means Japanese.
Then, we have the verb, to learn, which is “manabu.” But, in the phrase above, it ends with”tai.” So, first thing you should remember right now: -tai is how you say want in Japanese.
You take a verb and conjugate it into the -tai form.
Since this article is all about “I want to….” you will see the “tai” again and again.
And that’s good. You will remember it through constant repetition.
2. Nihongo de yomeru you ni naritai desu.
- I want to be able to read Japanese.
- ๆฅๆฌ่ชใง่ชญใใใใใซใชใใใใงใใ
- Nihongo de yomeru you ni naritai desu.
See? There’s the “tai” again!
There’s a new word here: yomeru. It’s the verb “yomu” or “to read” but conjugated in the potential form where you want to express whether you are able to do something. So, “yomeru” means “to be able to read.”
Finally, we have “tai” form of the verb “naru” which means “to become.”
Are you interested in reading Japanese? Then, you might want some Japanese textbooks.
3.ย Nihongo wo manabimasu.
- I will learn Japanese.
- ๆฅๆฌ่ชใๅญฆใณใพใใ
- Nihongo wo manabimasu.
Are you confident?
Are you confident that you will learn Japanese? Yes? Then learn this phrase!
Look! We ran into the verb,”manabu,” again. Remember? It means “to learn.”
Now, this is not so much of “want” phrase. But, if you want to learn Japanese and are confident about it, you will want to express your rock-solid beliefs and plans. That yes, you will learn and nothing can stop you.
So, when you decide to start learning, use this phrase.
4. Nihongo ga motto umaku hanaseru you ni naritai desu.
That’s quite a mouthful.
- Iย want to speak Japanese better.
- ๆฅๆฌ่ชใใใฃใจใใพใ่ฉฑใใใใใซใชใใใใงใใ
- Nihongo ga motto umaku hanaseru you ni naritai desu.
There are some more new words here.
“Motto” means “more.” Then, “umaku (or umai)” means “good” or “better.” Then we have the word “hanaseru,” meaning “to speak” and it is in the potential form . So, “hanaseru” means “to be able to speak.”
Finally we have this interesting pair: “you ni.” It’s a grammar form that means “so that.”
5.ย Nihongo ga motto umaku naritai.
- I want to be better at Japanese.
- ๆฅๆฌ่ชใใใฃใจใใพใใชใใใใ
- Nihongo ga motto umaku naritai.
By now, you already know these words.
At first, you say “I want to learn Japanese.” Then, you start learning, and then you say “I want to be even better.” That’s where this phrase comes in.
6. Nihongo ga pera pera ni naritai.
- I want to become fluent in Japanese.
- ๆฅๆฌ่ชใใใฉใใฉใซใชใใใใ
- Nihongo ga pera pera ni naritai.
Oh, new word! Just so you know, “pera pera” means “fluent.”
7. Nihongo wo pera pera ni shaberitai.
- I want to speak Japanese fluently.
- ๆฅๆฌ่ชใใใฉใใฉใซใใในใใใใ
- Nihongo wo pera pera ni shaberitai.
You learned “pera pera” above already but there’s a new word here. It’s “shaberitai” which means “want to talk.” Yes, it’s in the “tai” form. The original form of the verb is “shaberu” and it means “to talk.”
8. Nihongo ga wakaritai.
- I want to understand Japanese.
- ๆฅๆฌ่ชใใใใใใใ
- Nihongo ga wakaritai.
“Wakaritai” comes from the verb “wakaru” which means “to understand.”
Do you want to understand Japanese? Then, I suggest you get an online course right here. Or, you can listen to Japanese audio lessons and start understanding in minutes.
9. Kyou kara watashi wa nihongo no benkyou wo suru.
- I’ll start studying Japanese today.
- ไปๆฅใใ็งใฏๆฅๆฌ่ชใฎๅๅผทใใใใ
- Kyou kara watashi wa nihongo no benkyou wo suru.
“Kyou” means “today” and “kara” means from. So, from today! The next word is a super common word: “watashi.” It means “I” and you should never forget that. Finally, the only other new word here is “benkyou” which means study.
10. Nihongo wo benkyou shitai naa
- I’d like to study Japaneseโฆ
- ๆฅๆฌ่ชใๅๅผทใใใใชใ
- Nihongo wo benkyou shitai naa
Woah! What is this “naa”? I’ll tell you. It’s a suffix you use to express your thoughts, feelings and overall wishful thinking. Kind of like, if you were sitting daydreaming, sighing, and suddenly thought to yourself: “ah, wouldn’t it be great to actually speak Japanese?” That’s when you use the “na!”
So, this line is really up to interpretation and can be translated in many ways. It depends on how you feel. Aside from “I’d like to study Japanese…,” it can also be interpreted as “I want to learn some Japanese…”
11. Nihongo ga dekireba iina
- It’d be great to know Japaneseโฆ
- ๆฅๆฌ่ชใใงใใใฐใใใชใ
- Nihongo ga dekireba iina
This is another way to express your desire to learn Japanese.
Oh, there is a new grammar point and word here too. Let’s do the word first. It’s “dekiru” which is a verb and means “to be able.” But, it’s conjugated with the “-ba” ending which kind of means “if,” “when” or “if only.” Finally, there’s the “ii na.” “ii” means “good” and when combined with the “na,” it’s a “would be good” wishful-thinking type of phrase.
So, this line is kind of like: “It would be great if I knew (was able/capable of) Japanese.”
12. Watashi no yume wa nihongo ga perapera ni naritai desu
My dream is to be fluent in Japanese
- ็งใฎๅคขใฏๆฅๆฌ่ชใใใฉใใฉใซใชใใใใงใ
- Watashi no yume wa nihongo ga perapera ni naritai desu
What’s your dream?
Since you’re reading this article, it should be Japanese. Oh, did you notice a new word here? Yes, “yume.” “Yume” means dream.
13. Watashi no mokuhyou wa nihongo ga hanaseru you ni naru koto desu
- My goal is to be able to speak Japanese
- ็งใฎ็ฎๆจใฏๆฅๆฌ่ชใ่ฉฑใใใใใซใชใไบใงใ
- Watashi no mokuhyou wa nihongo ga hanaseru you ni naru koto desu
The truth is, you can just drop “watashi” if people know you’re talking about your goals, and say…
- My goal is to be able to speak Japanese
- ็ฎๆจใฏๆฅๆฌ่ชใ่ฉฑใใใใใซใชใไบใงใ
- mokuhyou wa nihongo ga hanaseru you ni naru koto desu
So, what about your goals?
Do you want to talk about goals in Japanese? Then, you’ll notice that it is “mokuhyou” in Japanese. That’s the new word that you should know.
Back to You
Now, you can say “I want to learn Japanese.” You can also talk about reading, speaking and understanding this language. Just re-read and repeat these lines some more if you want to master them.
But wait, what’s that? You say you want to learn MORE?
Well, my friend, check out the links below for resources:
Written by the Main Junkie
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