πŸ’­

Expressing Desire: 'I want to...'

Keywords
-κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš”
Lesson #
S
Done
Section
Basic Speaking
πŸ¦„
TL;DR πŸ¦„
  • 🍜 λ¨Ήκ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš” [meok-go si-peo-yo] β€” "I want to eat"
  • 🚫 ν•˜κ³  싢지 μ•Šμ•„μš” [ha-go sip-ji a-na-yo] β€” "I don't want to do (it)"
  • πŸ€” 뭐 ν•˜κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš”? [mwo ha-go si-peo-yo?] β€” "What do you want to do?"
  • πŸ’­ κ°€κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄ ν•΄μš” [ga-go si-peo hae-yo] β€” "(He/she) wants to go"
  • ✈️ μ—¬ν–‰ κ°€κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš” [yeo-haeng ga-go si-peo-yo] β€” "I want to go traveling"
πŸ”Š
🎧 Iru Helper Note: Hear every phrase in this lesson spoken aloud and practice your pronunciation with the Iru Helper Widgets.
Β 

🌈 The Big Picture

To say "I want to [do something]" in Korean, take a verb stem and attach -κ³  μ‹Άλ‹€ [-go sip-da]. In polite speech, that becomes -κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš”. The verb stem stays the same no matter what β€” only μ‹Άλ‹€ conjugates.
  • κ°€λ‹€ (to go) β†’ κ°€κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš” (I want to go)
  • λ¨Ήλ‹€ (to eat) β†’ λ¨Ήκ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš” (I want to eat)
  • 쉬닀 (to rest) β†’ 쉬고 μ‹Άμ–΄μš” (I want to rest)
It's one of the most useful patterns in Korean β€” perfect for ordering food, planning trips, and talking about your goals.

🎭 Talking About Other People's Desires

Here's the twist: -κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš” describes your own feelings. To talk about what someone else wants, Korean adds ν•΄μš”, turning it into -κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄ ν•΄μš” [-go si-peo hae-yo].
  • μ €λŠ” κ°€κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš” β€” "I want to go" (your own feeling)
  • 민수 μ”¨λŠ” κ°€κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄ ν•΄μš” β€” "Minsu wants to go" (describing someone else's feeling)
Think of it like the difference between stating your own emotion directly versus describing someone else's emotion from the outside β€” Korean grammar marks that difference explicitly.

🧳 Essential Phrase Kit

  • 뭐 λ¨Ήκ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš”? [mwo meok-go si-peo-yo?] β€” "What do you want to eat?"
  • μ €λŠ” ...ν•˜κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš” [jeo-neun ... ha-go si-peo-yo] β€” "I want to..."
  • ...ν•˜κ³  싢지 μ•Šμ•„μš” [... ha-go sip-ji a-na-yo] β€” "I don't want to..."
  • ...ν•˜κ³  μ‹Άμ—ˆμ–΄μš” [... ha-go si-peo-sseo-yo] β€” "I wanted to..." (past)
  • ...에 κ°€κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš” [... e ga-go si-peo-yo] β€” "I want to go to..."
  • 쉬고 μ‹Άμ–΄μš” [swi-go si-peo-yo] β€” "I want to rest"
  • 보고 μ‹Άμ–΄μš” [bo-go si-peo-yo] β€” "I want to see / I miss (you)"
  • ...ν•˜κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄ ν•΄μš” [... ha-go si-peo hae-yo] β€” "(He/she) wants to..."
  • λ„ˆλ¬΄ ...ν•˜κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš” [neo-mu ... ha-go si-peo-yo] β€” "I really want to..."
  • λ”±νžˆ ν•˜κ³  싢은 게 μ—†μ–΄μš” [ttak-hi ha-go si-peun ge eop-seo-yo] β€” "There's nothing in particular I want to do"

πŸ› οΈ Putting Together

A: 주말에 뭐 ν•˜κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš”?
B: κ·Έλƒ₯ μ§‘μ—μ„œ 쉬고 μ‹Άμ–΄μš”. μš”μ¦˜ λ„ˆλ¬΄ λ°”λΉ΄μ–΄μš”.
A: "What do you want to do this weekend?" B: "I just want to rest at home. I've been so busy lately."
πŸ¦„ Grammar note: 쉬닀 β†’ 쉬고 μ‹Άμ–΄μš” β€” the λ‹€ simply drops off and κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš” attaches directly to the stem.
A: 이거 ν•œλ²ˆ λ¨Ήμ–΄ λ΄€μ–΄μš”?
B: μ•„λ‹ˆμš”, 근데 μ§„μ§œ λ¨Ήκ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš”! 사진 λ³΄λ‹ˆκΉŒ λ„ˆλ¬΄ λ§›μžˆμ–΄ λ³΄μ—¬μš”.
A: "Have you tried this before?" B: "No, but I really want to try it! It looks so delicious in the photo."
πŸ¦„ Grammar note: μ§„μ§œ/λ„ˆλ¬΄ before -κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš” ramps up the intensity β€” "really/so much want to."
A: 지은 μ”¨λŠ” 이번 νœ΄κ°€μ— μ–΄λ”” κ°€κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄ ν•΄μš”?
B: μ œμ£Όλ„μ— κ°€κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄ ν•œλŒ€μš”. λ°”λ‹€λ₯Ό μ’‹μ•„ν•˜μž–μ•„μš”.
A: "Where does Jieun want to go for this vacation?" B: "I heard she wants to go to Jeju Island. You know she loves the ocean."
πŸ¦„ Grammar note: μ‹Άμ–΄ ν•œλŒ€μš” = μ‹Άμ–΄ ν•˜λ‹€ + -γ„΄λŒ€μš” (reported speech) β€” "I heard (someone) wants to..."

πŸ—£οΈ Speaking Practice: Mini Dialogue

민수: 지은 씨, λ‹€μŒ 달 μ—°νœ΄μ— 뭐 ν•˜κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš”?
[ji-eun ssi, da-eum dal yeon-hyu-e mwo ha-go si-peo-yo?]
"Jieun, what do you want to do during next month's holiday?"
지은: 음... 사싀 μ œμ£Όλ„μ— λ„ˆλ¬΄ κ°€κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš”. μž‘λ…„λΆ€ν„° 계속 κ°€κ³  μ‹Άμ—ˆμ–΄μš”.
[eum... sa-sil je-ju-do-e neo-mu ga-go si-peo-yo. jak-nyeon-bu-teo gye-sok ga-go si-peo-sseo-yo]
"Hmm... actually I really want to go to Jeju Island. I've wanted to go ever since last year."
민수: 였, μ’‹λ„€μš”! 저도 κ°€κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš”. 같이 κ°ˆκΉŒμš”?
[o, jo-ne-yo! jeo-do ga-go si-peo-yo. ga-chi gal-kka-yo?]
"Oh, nice! I want to go too. Shall we go together?"
지은: μ •λ§μš”? μ’‹μ•„μš”! 근데 μ €λŠ” λ°”λ‹€ κ·Όμ²˜μ—μ„œ κ·Έλƒ₯ 쉬고 μ‹Άμ–΄μš”. 산은 λ³„λ‘œ κ°€κ³  싢지 μ•Šμ•„μš”.
[jeong-mal-yo? jo-a-yo! geun-de jeo-neun ba-da geun-cheo-e-seo geu-nyang swi-go si-peo-yo. sa-neun byeol-lo ga-go sip-ji a-na-yo]
"Really? Great! But I just want to rest near the ocean. I don't really want to go to the mountains."
민수: μ’‹μ•„μš”, 그럼 ν•΄λ³€ μœ„μ£Όλ‘œ κ³„νšν•΄ λ΄μš”. 저도 λ”±νžˆ λ“±μ‚°ν•˜κ³  싢은 건 μ•„λ‹ˆμ—μš”.
[jo-a-yo, geu-reom hae-byeon wi-ju-ro gye-hwaek-hae bwa-yo. jeo-do ttak-hi deung-san-ha-go si-peun geon a-ni-e-yo]
"Okay, then let's plan around the beach. I don't really want to go hiking either."
지은: μ’‹μ•„μš”! 빨리 κ°€κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš”!
[jo-a-yo! ppal-li ga-go si-peo-yo!]
"Great! I can't wait to go!"

🧭 Speaking Tip

The verb 보닀 ("to see/watch") combined with -κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš” β€” 보고 μ‹Άμ–΄μš” β€” has a special double life. It can mean "I want to see (a movie/place)" but it's also the standard way to say "I miss you" in Korean. Context (and who you're talking to) makes the meaning clear: μ˜ν™” 보고 μ‹Άμ–΄μš” ("I want to watch a movie") vs. just 보고 μ‹Άμ–΄μš” said to a person ("I miss you"). This little phrase carries a lot of emotional weight, so save it for people you genuinely miss!

⚠️ Pitfalls to Dodge

  • ❌ Saying 민수 μ”¨λŠ” κ°€κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš” to describe someone else's desire. βœ… Use κ°€κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄ ν•΄μš” for third-person desires β€” μ‹Άμ–΄μš” alone is reserved for your own feelings.
  • ❌ Forgetting that the verb stem doesn't change β€” just drop λ‹€ and add κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš” (λ¨Ήλ‹€ β†’ λ¨Ήκ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš”, not λ¨Ήμ–΄κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš”).
  • ❌ Using -κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš” in very formal or written contexts where μ›ν•˜λ‹€ ("to want/desire") might be more appropriate for things like goals or requests.
  • ❌ Overusing 보고 μ‹Άμ–΄μš” casually β€” to a stranger or acquaintance it can come across as surprisingly intimate.
Nail these patterns and you'll be expressing your wants and wishes like a natural! πŸ’­βœ¨
Β 
Try this exercise
Instructions: For each prompt, write your response in Korean using -κ³  μ‹Άλ‹€/μ‹Άμ–΄ ν•˜λ‹€. Then check the toggle below for a sample answer.
  1. Say "I want to eat ramen" (라면).
Answer
라면 λ¨Ήκ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš”. (I want to eat ramen.)
  1. Ask a friend "What do you want to do this weekend?"
Answer
주말에 뭐 ν•˜κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš”? (What do you want to do this weekend?)
  1. Say "I don't want to go to work today" (νšŒμ‚¬μ— κ°€λ‹€).
Answer
였늘 νšŒμ‚¬μ— κ°€κ³  싢지 μ•Šμ•„μš”. (I don't want to go to work today.)
  1. Say "I wanted to travel last year, but I was too busy" (μ—¬ν–‰ κ°€λ‹€).
Answer
μž‘λ…„μ— μ—¬ν–‰ κ°€κ³  μ‹Άμ—ˆλŠ”λ° λ„ˆλ¬΄ λ°”λΉ΄μ–΄μš”. (I wanted to travel last year, but I was too busy.)
  1. Say "I really want to rest."
Answer
λ„ˆλ¬΄ 쉬고 μ‹Άμ–΄μš”. (I really want to rest.)
  1. Say "I miss my family" (using 보고 μ‹Άλ‹€).
Answer
가쑱이 보고 μ‹Άμ–΄μš”. (I miss my family.)
  1. Say "Minsu wants to learn Korean" (third person).
Answer
민수 μ”¨λŠ” ν•œκ΅­μ–΄λ₯Ό 배우고 μ‹Άμ–΄ ν•΄μš”. (Minsu wants to learn Korean.)
  1. Say "There's nothing in particular I want to do today."
Answer
였늘 λ”±νžˆ ν•˜κ³  싢은 게 μ—†μ–΄μš”. (There's nothing in particular I want to do today.)
  1. Say "I want to go to Jeju Island" (μ œμ£Όλ„).
Answer
μ œμ£Όλ„μ— κ°€κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš”. (I want to go to Jeju Island.)
  1. Say "I want to watch a movie" (μ˜ν™” 보닀).
Answer
μ˜ν™” 보고 μ‹Άμ–΄μš”. (I want to watch a movie.)
πŸ“š
Vocabulary Box
  • -κ³  μ‹Άλ‹€ β€” to want to (do)
  • -κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄ ν•˜λ‹€ β€” (someone else) wants to
  • 쉬닀 β€” to rest
  • 보고 μ‹Άλ‹€ β€” to want to see / to miss
  • λ”±νžˆ β€” particularly, specifically
  • μ—¬ν–‰ β€” travel, trip
  • νœ΄κ°€ β€” vacation, time off
  • λ“±μ‚°ν•˜λ‹€ β€” to go hiking
  • ν•΄λ³€ β€” beach
  • κ³„νšν•˜λ‹€ β€” to plan
Pitfalls πŸ’‘
  • μ‹Άμ–΄μš” = your own desire; μ‹Άμ–΄ ν•΄μš” = someone else's.
  • The verb stem never changes before -κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš”.
  • 보고 μ‹Άμ–΄μš” can mean "miss you" β€” use with care.
πŸš€
Want more reps? Head to the Practice Hub below for three full exercise sets!
Β 
πŸ“¦
🎯 Practice Hub β€” Expressing Desire: 'I want to...'
Work through these three exercises to lock in -κ³  μ‹Άλ‹€/μ‹Άμ–΄ ν•˜λ‹€. Try answering out loud before checking each answer β€” and use the Iru Helper Widgets above if you want to hear the pronunciation again.

Exercise 1 β€” Saying What You Want 🍜

A. Say "I want to eat" (λ¨Ήλ‹€).
<details><summary>Answer</summary>λ¨Ήκ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš”. (meok-go si-peo-yo)</details>
B. Say "I want to go" (κ°€λ‹€).
<details><summary>Answer</summary>κ°€κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš”. (ga-go si-peo-yo)</details>
C. Say "I want to sleep" (μžλ‹€).
<details><summary>Answer</summary>자고 μ‹Άμ–΄μš”. (ja-go si-peo-yo)</details>
D. Say "I want to learn Korean" (λ°°μš°λ‹€).
<details><summary>Answer</summary>ν•œκ΅­μ–΄λ₯Ό 배우고 μ‹Άμ–΄μš”. (han-gu-geo-reul bae-u-go si-peo-yo)</details>
E. Say "I want to buy this" (사닀).
<details><summary>Answer</summary>이거 사고 μ‹Άμ–΄μš”. (i-geo sa-go si-peo-yo)</details>
F. Say "I want to meet you" (λ§Œλ‚˜λ‹€).
<details><summary>Answer</summary>λ§Œλ‚˜κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš”. (man-na-go si-peo-yo)</details>
G. Say "I want to try this on" (μž…μ–΄λ³΄λ‹€).
<details><summary>Answer</summary>μž…μ–΄λ³΄κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš”. (i-beo-bo-go si-peo-yo)</details>
H. Say "I want to drink coffee" (λ§ˆμ‹œλ‹€).
<details><summary>Answer</summary>컀피 λ§ˆμ‹œκ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš”. (keo-pi ma-si-go si-peo-yo)</details>
I. Say "I want to listen to music" (λ“£λ‹€).
<details><summary>Answer</summary>μŒμ•…μ„ λ“£κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš”. (eu-ma-geul deut-go si-peo-yo)</details>
J. Say "I want to take a walk" (μ‚°μ±…ν•˜λ‹€).
<details><summary>Answer</summary>μ‚°μ±…ν•˜κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš”. (san-chaek-ha-go si-peo-yo)</details>
πŸ“š
Quick Reference
  • -κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš” β€” I want to...
  • λ¨Ήλ‹€ β†’ λ¨Ήκ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš” β€” eat
  • κ°€λ‹€ β†’ κ°€κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš” β€” go
  • μžλ‹€ β†’ 자고 μ‹Άμ–΄μš” β€” sleep
  • λ°°μš°λ‹€ β†’ 배우고 μ‹Άμ–΄μš” β€” learn
  • 사닀 β†’ 사고 μ‹Άμ–΄μš” β€” buy
  • λ§Œλ‚˜λ‹€ β†’ λ§Œλ‚˜κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš” β€” meet
  • μž…μ–΄λ³΄λ‹€ β†’ μž…μ–΄λ³΄κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš” β€” try on
  • λ§ˆμ‹œλ‹€ β†’ λ§ˆμ‹œκ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš” β€” drink
  • λ“£λ‹€ β†’ λ“£κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš” β€” listen

Exercise 2 β€” What You Don't Want / Wanted Before 🚫

A. Say "I don't want to work today" (μΌν•˜λ‹€).
<details><summary>Answer</summary>였늘 μΌν•˜κ³  싢지 μ•Šμ•„μš”. (o-neul il-ha-go sip-ji a-na-yo)</details>
B. Say "I don't want to go out" (λ‚˜κ°€λ‹€).
<details><summary>Answer</summary>λ‚˜κ°€κ³  싢지 μ•Šμ•„μš”. (na-ga-go sip-ji a-na-yo)</details>
C. Say "I wanted to sleep, but I couldn't" (μžλ‹€).
<details><summary>Answer</summary>자고 μ‹Άμ—ˆλŠ”λ° λͺ» μž€μ–΄μš”. (ja-go si-peo-sseun-de mot ja-sseo-yo)</details>
D. Say "I wanted to go to Jeju last year" (μ œμ£Όλ„ κ°€λ‹€).
<details><summary>Answer</summary>μž‘λ…„μ— μ œμ£Όλ„μ— κ°€κ³  μ‹Άμ—ˆμ–΄μš”. (jak-nyeon-e je-ju-do-e ga-go si-peo-sseo-yo)</details>
E. Say "I really don't want to do this" (이거 ν•˜λ‹€).
<details><summary>Answer</summary>이거 정말 ν•˜κ³  싢지 μ•Šμ•„μš”. (i-geo jeong-mal ha-go sip-ji a-na-yo)</details>
F. Say "There's nothing in particular I want to eat."
<details><summary>Answer</summary>λ”±νžˆ λ¨Ήκ³  싢은 게 μ—†μ–΄μš”. (ttak-hi meok-go si-peun ge eop-seo-yo)</details>
G. Say "I don't want to wake up early" (일찍 μΌμ–΄λ‚˜λ‹€).
<details><summary>Answer</summary>일찍 μΌμ–΄λ‚˜κ³  싢지 μ•Šμ•„μš”. (il-jjik i-reo-na-go sip-ji a-na-yo)</details>
H. Say "I wanted to call you, but it was too late" (μ „ν™”ν•˜λ‹€).
<details><summary>Answer</summary>μ „ν™”ν•˜κ³  μ‹Άμ—ˆλŠ”λ° λ„ˆλ¬΄ λŠ¦μ—ˆμ–΄μš”. (jeon-hwa-ha-go si-peo-sseun-de neo-mu neu-jeo-sseo-yo)</details>
I. Say "I don't want to think about it" (μƒκ°ν•˜λ‹€).
<details><summary>Answer</summary>μƒκ°ν•˜κ³  싢지 μ•Šμ•„μš”. (saeng-gak-ha-go sip-ji a-na-yo)</details>
J. Say "I wanted to study, but I was too tired" (κ³΅λΆ€ν•˜λ‹€).
<details><summary>Answer</summary>κ³΅λΆ€ν•˜κ³  μ‹Άμ—ˆλŠ”λ° λ„ˆλ¬΄ ν”Όκ³€ν–ˆμ–΄μš”. (gong-bu-ha-go si-peo-sseun-de neo-mu pi-gon-hae-sseo-yo)</details>
πŸ“š
Quick Reference
  • -κ³  싢지 μ•Šμ•„μš” β€” don't want to
  • -κ³  μ‹Άμ—ˆμ–΄μš” β€” wanted to (past)
  • -κ³  μ‹Άμ—ˆλŠ”λ° β€” wanted to, but...
  • λ”±νžˆ ...μ—†μ–΄μš” β€” nothing in particular
  • μΌν•˜λ‹€ β€” to work
  • λ‚˜κ°€λ‹€ β€” to go out
  • μΌμ–΄λ‚˜λ‹€ β€” to wake up
  • μ „ν™”ν•˜λ‹€ β€” to call
  • μƒκ°ν•˜λ‹€ β€” to think

Exercise 3 β€” Full Desire Conversations πŸ’¬

A. "주말에 뭐 ν•˜κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš”?" β€” What does this mean?
<details><summary>Answer</summary>"What do you want to do this weekend?"</details>
B. Respond: "I just want to rest at home."
<details><summary>Answer</summary>κ·Έλƒ₯ μ§‘μ—μ„œ 쉬고 μ‹Άμ–΄μš”.</details>
C. Say "Minsu wants to go to Jeju Island" (third person).
<details><summary>Answer</summary>민수 μ”¨λŠ” μ œμ£Όλ„μ— κ°€κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄ ν•΄μš”.</details>
D. Say "I've wanted to go since last year."
<details><summary>Answer</summary>μž‘λ…„λΆ€ν„° 계속 κ°€κ³  μ‹Άμ—ˆμ–΄μš”.</details>
E. Say "I want to go too. Shall we go together?"
<details><summary>Answer</summary>저도 κ°€κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš”. 같이 κ°ˆκΉŒμš”?</details>
F. Say "I don't really want to go to the mountains."
<details><summary>Answer</summary>산은 λ³„λ‘œ κ°€κ³  싢지 μ•Šμ•„μš”.</details>
G. Say "I really want to try this β€” it looks delicious!"
<details><summary>Answer</summary>μ§„μ§œ λ¨Ήκ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš”! λ„ˆλ¬΄ λ§›μžˆμ–΄ λ³΄μ—¬μš”.</details>
H. Say "I miss you" using 보고 μ‹Άλ‹€.
<details><summary>Answer</summary>보고 μ‹Άμ–΄μš”.</details>
I. Say "I heard she wants to go to Jeju Island" (reported).
<details><summary>Answer</summary>μ œμ£Όλ„μ— κ°€κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄ ν•œλŒ€μš”.</details>
J. Say "I can't wait to go!"
<details><summary>Answer</summary>빨리 κ°€κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš”!</details>
πŸ“š
Cheat Sheet
  • 뭐 ν•˜κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄μš”? β€” What do you want to do?
  • 쉬고 μ‹Άμ–΄μš” β€” want to rest
  • κ°€κ³  μ‹Άμ–΄ ν•΄μš” β€” (he/she) wants to go
  • κ°€κ³  μ‹Άμ—ˆμ–΄μš” β€” wanted to go (past)
  • 같이 κ°ˆκΉŒμš”? β€” Shall we go together?
  • λ³„λ‘œ ...싢지 μ•Šμ•„μš” β€” don't really want to
  • μ§„μ§œ/λ„ˆλ¬΄ ...μ‹Άμ–΄μš” β€” really want to
  • 보고 μ‹Άμ–΄μš” β€” miss you
  • μ‹Άμ–΄ ν•œλŒ€μš” β€” heard (someone) wants to
πŸŽ‰ μž˜ν–ˆμ–΄μš”! You've mastered expressing your wants and wishes in Korean!