ほしい

Japanese edit

Etymology 1 edit

Alternative spelling
欲しい

From Old Japanese, from Proto-Japonic *pəsi. Appears in the Man'yōshū of 759 CE and the Kojiki of 712 CE.^[1]

Appears to be related to now-obsolete verb 欲る (horu, “to wish for, to want”). A surface analysis might suggest a derivation from root ho- + adjective-forming suffix しい (shii). However, the verb root is actually hor-, as 欲る (horu) has the 四段活用 (yodan katsuyō, “quadrigrade conjugation”) pattern, pointing towards a less straightforward derivation.

Pronunciation edit

(Tokyo) ほしい [hòshíꜜì] (Nakadaka – [2])^[2]^[3]^[4]
IPA^(key): [ho̞ɕiː]

Tokyo pitch accent of inflected forms of "欲しい"

Stem forms
Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary
Continuative (連用形)	欲しく	ほしくほしく	`[hóꜜshìkù]` `[hòshíꜜkù]`
Terminal (終止形)	欲しい	ほしい	`[hòshíꜜì]`
Attributive (連体形)	欲しい	ほしい	`[hòshíꜜì]`
Key constructions
Informal negative	欲しくない	ほしくないほしくない	`[hóꜜshìkùnàì]` `[hòshíꜜkùnàì]`
Informal past	欲しかった	ほしかったほしかった	`[hóꜜshìkàttà]` `[hòshíꜜkàttà]`
Informal negative past	欲しくなかった	ほしくなかったほしくなかった	`[hóꜜshìkùnàkàttà]` `[hòshíꜜkùnàkàttà]`
Formal	欲しいです	ほしいです	`[hòshíꜜìdèsù]`
Conjunctive	欲しくて	ほしくてほしくて	`[hóꜜshìkùtè]` `[hòshíꜜkùtè]`
Conditional	欲しければ	ほしければほしければ	`[hóꜜshìkèrèbà]` `[hòshíꜜkèrèbà]`

Adjective edit

ほしい • (hoshii) -i (adverbial ほしく (hoshiku))

欲しい: wanted, desired, needed
私(わたし)はこの本(ほん)が欲(ほ)しいです。
Watashi wa kono hon ga hoshii desu.
As for me, this book is wanted → I want this book.

(See usage notes below.)
(after a -て (-て) verb form) wanted or desirable that someone perform the verb
彼(かの)女(じょ)に勝(か)ってほしかった。
Kanojo ni katte hoshikatta.
It was wanted of her to win → I wanted her to win.

(See usage notes below.)

Usage notes edit

About ほしい used to describe nouns:
- Unlike English want, Japanese 欲しい is an adjective modifying the thing desired or wanted.
About -て + ほしい:
- The agent of the verb can be introduced by either に (ni) or が (ga).
  娘(むすめ)に笑(わら)ってほしい。
  Musume ni waratte hoshii.
  I want my daughter to have a happy face.
  
  雨(あめ)が降(ふ)ってほしい。
  Ame ga futte hoshii.
  (Lit. "The rain falls and (it) is wanted") I am waiting for a rain.
- に can be ambiguous when an indirect object is involved, as this also takes に.
  佐(さ)藤(とう)さんに英(えい)語(ご)を教(おし)えてほしい。
  Satō-san ni Eigo o oshiete hoshii.
  I want someone to teach Sato English. (indirect object)
  I want Sato to teach English. (agent)
- When the subject (the person that wants) is not the speaker, it is introduced by the topic maker は (wa).
  親(おや)は私(わたし)にもっとしっかりしてほしい。
  Oya wa watashi ni motto shikkari shite hoshii.
  My parents want me to work harder.
- ほしい does not express the meaning "someone wants to do something themselves". In that case, the verb suffix たい is usually used instead. Compare:
  彼(かの)女(じょ)は帰(かえ)りたいと言(い)った。
  Kanojo wa kaeritai to itta.
  She said 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 her to go home.
A related verb denoting willingness (欲(ほっ)する (hossuru)) exists, but its usage is quite uncommon.
Depending on context, the usage of this word could be considered overly direct or childish.
When following the ない (nai) form of a verb + で (de), this construction means "don't want [someone else] to".
君(きみ)は帰(かえ)らないでほしい。
Kimi wa kaeranaide hoshii.
I don't want you to go back.
This term is commonly spelled in hiragana, with the kanji spelling reserved for formal contexts.

Inflection edit

Inflection of ほしい

Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形)	ほしかろ	hoshikaro
Continuative (連用形)	ほしく	hoshiku
Terminal (終止形)	ほしい	hoshii
Attributive (連体形)	ほしい	hoshii
Hypothetical (仮定形)	ほしけれ	hoshikere
Imperative (命令形)	ほしかれ	hoshikare
Key constructions
Informal negative	ほしくない	hoshiku nai
Informal past	ほしかった	hoshikatta
Informal negative past	ほしくなかった	hoshiku nakatta
Formal	ほしいです	hoshii desu
Formal negative	ほしくないです	hoshiku nai desu
Formal past	ほしかったです	hoshikatta desu
Formal negative past	ほしくなかったです	hoshiku nakatta desu
Conjunctive	ほしくて	hoshikute
Conditional	ほしければ	hoshikereba
Provisional	ほしかったら	hoshikattara
Volitional	ほしかろう	hoshikarō
Adverbial	ほしく	hoshiku
Degree	ほしさ	hoshisa

Classical conjugation of "ほし" (シク活用, see Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Stem forms
Irrealis (未然形)	ほしく^[1] ほしから^[2]	fosiku fosikara
Continuative (連用形)	ほしく^[1] ほしかり^[2]	fosiku fosikari
Terminal (終止形)	ほし	fosi
Attributive (連体形)	ほしきほしかる	fosiki fosikaru
Realis (已然形)	ほしけれ	fosikere
Imperative (命令形)	ほしかれ	fosikare
Key constructions
Negative	ほしからず	fosikarazu
Contrasting conjunction	ほしけれど	fosikeredo
Causal conjunction	ほしければ	fosikereba
Conditional conjunction	ほしくば	fosikuba
Past tense (firsthand knowledge)	ほしかりき	fosikariki
Past tense (secondhand knowledge)	ほしかりけり	fosikarikeri
Adverbial	ほしく	fosiku
^[1]Without auxiliary verb. ^[2]With auxiliary verb.

Derived terms edit

欲(ほ)しがる (hoshigaru, “to want, to desire”, used to describe others)

Related terms edit

欲(ほ)る (horu, “to want, to wish for”, obsolete)
欲(ほ)りす (horisu, “to want, to wish for”, obsolete)
欲(ほっ)する (hossuru, “to want, to wish for”, modern)

Etymology 2 edit

Alternative spellings
乾し飯乾飯干し飯糒

Japanese Wikipedia has an article on:

糒（ほしい）

Wikipedia ^ja

/hosi ipi/ → /hosipi/ → /hosifi/ → /hoɕifi/ → /hoɕiː/

Shift from ほしいい (hoshiī)^[5]^[6] due to the prohibition in Old Japanese against word-medial vowel clusters. (See Old_Japanese#Morphophonemics at Wikipedia.)

Ultimately a compound of 干し (hoshi, “drying; dried”, the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of verb 干す (hosu, “to dry, to air out”)) +‎ 飯 (ī, “cooked grain (usually rice)”).^[7]^[8]^[2]

First cited in the Nihon Shoki of 720.^[5]

Alternative forms edit

ほしいい (hoshiī)

Pronunciation edit

(Tokyo) ほしい [hòshíꜜì] (Nakadaka – [2])^[3]
IPA^(key): [ho̞ɕiː]

Noun edit

ほしい • (hoshii) ^{←ほしひ (fosifi)^?}

[from 720] dried rice (after already being cooked once)
Synonym: かれいい (kareii)
- 1883, 雨森芳洲 (Amenomori Hōshū), “飲食”, in 浦瀬裕, editor, 再刊交隣須知 (Saikan kōrin suchi)‎^{NDL NLK}, 外務省 edition, volume 3:
  
  糗(ハツタイ)ホシイニ白(シロ)砂(ザ)糖(タウ)ヲマゼテダセ
  Hattai Hoshii ni shirozatō o mazete dase
  Parched rice: Stir a little white sugar into the parched rice and serve it
  
  糗 강(乾)밥에^[SIC] 셜당(雪糖)을 타셔 내여라 (original Korean)

Etymology 3 edit

Proper noun edit

ほしい • (Hoshii)

星井: a surname

References edit

^ Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK Publishing, →ISBN
^ Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 “糒”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, “Nihon Kokugo Daijiten”)‎^[1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000
^ “糒”, in デジタル大辞泉‎^[2] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, updated roughly every four months
^ “干飯・乾飯・糒”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, “Nihon Kokugo Daijiten”)‎^[3] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000
^ “干し飯”, in デジタル大辞泉‎^[4] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, updated roughly every four months

[KDJ-1] Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN

[DJR-2] 2.0 ^2.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[NHK-3] 3.0 ^3.1 NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK Publishing, →ISBN

[SMK5-4] Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[KDJ2-5] 5.0 ^5.1 “糒”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, “Nihon Kokugo Daijiten”)‎^[1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000

[DDJS-6] “糒”, in デジタル大辞泉‎^[2] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, updated roughly every four months

[7] “干飯・乾飯・糒”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, “Nihon Kokugo Daijiten”)‎^[3] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000

[8] “干し飯”, in デジタル大辞泉‎^[4] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, updated roughly every four months

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