願い事 – 3 Ways to Say Wish in Japanese and the Difference Between them
The closest word for wish in Japanese is probably 願い or 願い事. However, wish is a word that can means different things bases on the context it is used. For that reason, there is not one straightforward word that you can use in Japanese that will perfectly match all situations that wish can be used in English.
So, if you want to be able to express your ideas fluently and avoid awkward conversations, it is important to know when you should use which expression. No worries though, I will explain all of that below.
Table of Contents
願い事 – Your Wish is my Command
The very first thing I personally think of when someone says wish is a Genie coming out of a lamp to grant me my wildest desires. That may not be the first thing you think of but again everyone has a different idea of what different words mean.
Anyway, if you are ever fortunate enough to come across a genie and they happen to only speak Japanese then you would use the word 願い事 to make your wish.
願い事をする
make a wish
願い事が叶った
my wish came true
願い – Requests and Desires
願い is the same word as 願い事 but is more broadly used. You can say 願い to talk about your wishes but also your desires wants, or even for making requests.
願いを聞き入れる
to accept a request
望み – Hopes and Wishes
望み is another way to say wish in Japanese. This word though can also mean hope in Japanese, desires, and so on.
望みを叶える
make a wish come true
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