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HOW TO SAY HOPE IN JAPANESE
Welcome to this free lesson about how to express hope in Japanese!
After reaching a certain level you might want to start expressing various feelings, plans, opinions etc
Today we will teach you all about expressing hope in Japanese.
HOPE IN JAPANESE WITH といい
といい to ii
といい is added after the casual form of a verb (e.g., 行くiku、行った itta、行きたい ikitai、行かない ikanai, etc.).
PATTERN
Verb + といい
This means “I hope that” in English and is used to express the speaker’s desire for something to happen.
It is used in everyday conversations, rather than more conceptual or deep things.
One important thing to note is that when used in certain contexts, this can be a suggestion from the speaker to the listener.
Examples
|
このレポートは火曜日までに提出するといいです。
kono repo-to wa kayoubi made ni teishutsu suru to ii desu. It would be good if this report was submitted before Tuesday. |
| It really means: “Get this report in by Tuesday” |
View More Examples:
| JAPANESE | ROMAJI | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| いい天気になるといいね。 | Ii tenki ni naru to ii ne. | I hope it becomes good weather. |
| 今度の試験は合格するといいです。 | Kondo no shiken wa goukaku suru to ii desu. | I hope I pass the upcoming exam. |
| 彼が早く回復するといいな。 | Kare ga hayaku kaifuku suru to ii na. | I hope he recovers soon. |
| 旅行が楽しいといいですね。 | Ryokou ga tanoshii to ii desu ne. | I hope the trip is enjoyable. |
| 彼女とのデートが成功するといいんだけど。 | Kanojo to no deeto ga seikou suru to iin dakedo. | I hope the date with her goes well. |
| お祭りは盛り上がるといいです。 | Omatsuri wa moriagaru to ii desu. | I hope the festival will be lively. |
| 今晩の夕食が美味しいといいですね。 | Konban no yuushoku ga oishii to ii desu ne. | I hope tonight’s dinner is delicious. |
HOPE IN JAPANESE WITH たらいい
たらいい taraii
Add たらいい to the casual past tense of a verb (e.g., 行った itta went, 飲んだ nonda drunk, 食べた tabeta ate, した shita did, etc.) to mean exactly the same thing as above.
PATTERN
Past tense verb + たらいい
| JAPANESE | ROMAJI | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| 彼女が元気でいてくれたらいい。 | Kanojo ga genki de ite kuretara ii. | I hope she stays healthy. |
| 試験に合格できたらいいな。 | Shiken ni goukaku dekitara ii na. | I hope I can pass the exam. |
View More Examples:
| japanese | romaji | english |
|---|---|---|
| 早く家に帰れたらいいな。 | Hayaku ie ni kaeretara ii na. | I hope I can get home early. |
| 明日は晴れていたらいいな。 | Ashita wa harete itara ii na. | I hope it’s sunny tomorrow. |
HOPE IN JAPANESE WITH ように
ように youni
This one is used for humble requests, prayers, and wishes.
Think of this as a level up on the wish ladder compared to といい.
You just add ように to the verb, often found in the polite ます masu form.
PATTERN
Verb + ように
This grammar is often paired with 祈る inoru (to pray) or 願う negau (to desire), but you’ll see more verbs used in the examples.
NOTE || Without a verb after ように , it still has the same wish meaning. See the examples.
Around 七夕 tanabata (Star Festival) in July, people write wishes and put them on bamboo trees, and this grammar is used.
Examples
世界が平和になりますように
I wish that the world will be peace| JAPANESE | ROMAJI | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| 早くよくなるように祈っています。 | Hayaku yoku naru you ni inotteimasu. | I’m praying for a speedy recovery. |
| 雨が降らないように願っています。 | Ame ga furanai you ni negatteimasu. | I hope it doesn’t rain. |
View More Examples:
| japanese | ROMAJI | english |
|---|---|---|
| 安全な旅行になりますように。 | Anzen na ryokou ni narimasu you ni. | I hope you have a safe trip. |
| 成功するように頑張ります。 | Seikou suru you ni ganbarimasu. | I’ll do my best to succeed. |
| 幸せな未来が待っているように願っています。 | Shiawase na mirai ga matte iru you ni negatteimasu. | I hope a happy future is waiting. |
| 健康でいられるように気をつけます。 | Kenkou de irareru you ni ki o tsukemasu. | I’ll be careful to stay healthy. |
| 家族が幸せであるように願っています。 | Kazoku ga shiawase de aru you ni negatteimasu. | I hope my family is happy. |
| 良い結果が出るように祈ります。 | Yoi kekka ga deru you ni inorimasu. | I pray for good results. |
| みんなが安全でいるように願います。 | Minna ga anzen de iru you ni negaimasu. | I hope everyone is safe. |
SUMMARY
Here is a summary of the grammar points studied in this lesson:
- といい and たらいい are equivalent and are used in daily conversation to mean “I hope that”.
- ように is used for humble requests, prayers, and wishes.
- ように is used to convey deeper ideas than といい and たらいい.
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FAQs
How to express Hope in Japanese?
といい is added after the casual form of a verb (e.g., 行くiku、行った itta、行きたい ikitai、行かない ikanai, etc.).
This means “I hope that” in English and is used to express the speaker’s desire for something to happen.
Iis used in everyday conversation, rather than more conceptual or deep things.
今度の試験は合格するといいです。
Kondo no shiken wa goukaku suru to ii desu.
I hope I pass the upcoming exam.
—
Add たらいい to the casual past tense of a verb (e.g., 行った itta went, 飲んだ nonda drunk, 食べた tabeta ate, した shita did, etc.) to mean exactly the same thing as above.
雨が降らないといいね。
Ame ga furanai to ii ne.
I hope it doesn’t rain.
—
ように (you ni) is used for humble requests, prayers, and wishes.
You just add ように to the verb, often found in the polite ます masu form.
早くよくなるように祈っています。
Hayaku yoku naru you ni inotteimasu.
I’m praying for a speedy recovery.
—
Check out the full lesson on hope in Japanese here.
How to express Desire in Japanese?
When expressing desire for a thing, or a noun in other words, we can use the word 欲しい（ほしい).
欲しい is an ii adjective. Even though “want” is a verb in English, it is an adjective in Japanese, so we have to adjust our thinking about “wanting” appropriately.
Examples:
あの本が欲しい, ano hon ga hoshii | I want that book
らーメンが欲しい, ramen ga hoshii | I want ramen
Check out our free lesson about Desire in Japanese here.
How to express Potential in Japanese?
Conveniently, there’s actually a potential form of conjugation of verbs in Japanese.
The potential form is used for personal-related things as well as general possibilities.
For Group 1 verbs (うu-verbs).
Here, we replace the う u-vowel sound with its え e-vowel counterpart and add る ru.
飲む nomu (to drink) becomes 飲める nomeru (can drink).
For Group 2 verbs(るru-verbs).
We simply swap out the る ru ending with られる rareru.
食べる taberu (to eat) becomes 食べられる taberareru (can eat).
Here a three exceptions you’ll want to remember:
する suru (to do)
→ 出来る dekiru (can do)
くる kuru (to come)
→ こられる korareru (can come)
ある aru (to be)
→ あり得る ariuru/arieiru (can exist/can be/possible)
Check out our free lesson about expressing potential in Japanese here.
How do you say If in Japanese?
There is several ways to say if in Japanese, depending on the situation. To summarise:
ば is used for real or concrete situations.
たら is used for hypothetical or speculative situations.
なら is used for conjecture or assumption.
と is used for expressing natural consequence.
もし adds an extra air of uncertainty. Often combined with one of the above conditionals.
Check our free lesson on If in Japanese here.
Where to find more free Japanese lessons?
We regularly publish free Japanese lessons on our Japanese Grammar Bank.
Can I book Japanese classes with LTL?
Yes!
You can book online Japanese lessons on our platform Flexi Classes.
If you’d prefer to study Japanese abroad, check out our immersion programs in Tokyo.