たい

From たし (-tashi), generally regarded as a shift from Old Japanese いたし (itasi, “painful”), modern 痛い (itai).^[1] Appears as a verbal suffix from at least The Tale of the Heike completed before 1330. Replaces previous volitional or desiderative suffix まほし (mahoshi).^[2]

• IPA^(key):

• In Tokyo speech, the accent of the verb construction depends on the suffixed verb:^[3]
  • If the suffixed verb is accented, the accent falls on the first mora in the suffix: つく​る  (Nakadaka) → つくりた​い  (Nakadaka)
  • If the suffixed verb is non-accented and the suffix is in the dictionary form (nonpast), the result is either non-accented or accented on the first mora of the suffix: あそぶ  (Heiban – ) → あそびたい  (Heiban – ) or あそびた​い  (Nakadaka). Further conjugation is based on the accented version.

たい • (-tai) -i (adverbial たく (-taku))

1. Used to form the desiderative of verbs: want (to do); hope (to do)

   読(よ)みたいなら貸(か)すよ

   yomitai nara kasu yo

   If you want to read it, I can lend it to you.

   彼(かれ)は注(ちゅう)目(もく)されたい

   kare wa chūmoku saretai

   He wants to gain other people's attention.

   アイスが食(た)べたい

   aisu ga tabetai

   I want to eat ice cream.

2. (only with verb ある, である and honorifics) Expressing a wish of the speaker: I hope that; I wish that

   正(しょう)直(じき)者(もの)がばかを見(み)ない世(よ)の中(なか)でありたい

   shōjikimono ga baka o minai yo no naka de aritai

   I wish in this world the honest people would not suffer losses.

   別(べっ)表(ぴょう)を参(さん)照(しょう)されたい

   beppyō o sanshō saretai

   Please see the appendix table.

• Outside of questions, the suffix たい (-tai) is used mainly to talk about the speaker's own wants. When describing the wants of someone else, the suffix たがる (-tagaru) is used instead.
• Attaches to the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of verbs. The result is conjugated like an adjective (形容詞) but allows for the combination with nominal particles such as を, unlike regular adjectives. Both particle uses have been widespread since the Muromachi period.^[4]

死(し)にたくない ― shinitakunai ― do not want to die

それを食(た)べたかった。 ― sore o tabetakatta. ― I wanted to eat that.

• Except for sense 2 (see above), たい does not express the meaning "someone wants other people to do something". In that case, 欲しい is usually used instead. Compare:

彼(かの)女(じょ)は帰(かえ)りたい

kanojo wa kaeritai

She wants to go home.

彼(かの)女(じょ)は帰(かえ)ってほしい

kanojo wa kaette hoshii

I want that she goes home. → I want her to go home.

• Verb with たい can sometimes mark the grammatical object with が, besides the normal object marker を.

アイスが食(た)べたい

aisu ga tabetai

I want to eat ice cream.

アイスを食(た)べたい

aisu o tabetai

I want to eat ice cream.

• This word is morphologically an inflectional suffix. It is classified as 助動詞 (jodōshi, “auxiliary verb”) in traditional Japanese grammar.

• たがる (tagaru)

たい • (tai) 

1. (Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki)^[5] sentence-ending particle indicating emphasis

   そうですたい

   sō desu tai

   (please add an English translation of this example)

• ばい

(The following entries are uncreated: 隊, 袋, 堆, 泰.)

(The following entry is uncreated: 田井.)

(The following entry is uncreated: 田居.)