志す

Compound of 心 (kokoro, “heart; mind”) +‎ 指す (sasu, “to point”), literally in reference to where one's thoughts are focused on.^[1][2][3]

First cited to the mid-900s.^[2]

• (Tokyo) こころざす (Nakadaka – )^[3][4][5]
• IPA^(key):

志(こころざ)す • (kokorozasu) intransitive godan (stem 志(こころざ)し (kokorozashi), past 志(こころざ)した (kokorozashita))

1. to aspire to, to aim for, to set one's sights on, to target or pursue as a goal or aspiration

   彼(かれ)は弁護士(べんごし)を志(こころざ)している。

   Kare wa bengoshi o kokorozashite iru.

   He aspires to be a lawyer.

Japanese references are inconsistent in listing this as either a 自動詞 (jidōshi, “intransitive verb”) or 他動詞 (tadōshi, “transitive verb”). Confusingly, definitions given for the purportedly intransitive sense often give usage examples with the object-marking を (o) particle and constructions that appear to be straightforwardly transitive.

In general, the verb can be used in a clearly intransitive way using the directional particle に (ni) to indicate one's aim, and a more generally transitive way using the object particle を (o):

• 学問(がくもん)に志(こころざ)す、漫画家(まんがかのみち)にこころざす

  gakumon ni kokorozasu, mangaka no michi ni kokorozasu

  to aim for studying, to set one's sights on the road to manga artist

• 留学(りゅうがく)を志(こころざ)す

  ryūgaku o kokorozasu

  to pursue overseas study

This might be broadly similar to the distinction between the transitive verb 向く (muku, “to face something”) and the related intransitive verb 向かう (mukau, “to be facing towards something”), or indeed the intransitive and transitive distinctions in English aspire to, aim for (which require the prepositions to mark the indirect object) and target, pursue (which require no prepositions and simply take a direct object).