The Meaning of negai [願い] In Japanese

願い
ねがい
Romaji: negai N5

What does 願い mean?

Translation and Meaning

wish, desire, prayer, request

Definition

What does 願い mean? It is a noun that denotes a wish, desire, or request for something to happen, often reflecting a personal hope or prayer.

Type

Noun (名詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • As a noun, a conscious longing for a future event or outcome.
  • Used for petitions or prayers, indicating an earnest appeal or plea.
  • Common in phrases such as 願い事 and 願いを叶える, signaling the act of wishing or hoping to be fulfilled.
  • In religious or ceremonial contexts, it can express supplication directed at deities or spirits.

Etymology

願い is formed from the verb 願う (negau); the noun い serves as a nominalizing suffix, turning the verb into the noun that means the act or result of wishing.

Origin

Early attestations appear in classical Japanese, with the concept rooted in native belief systems and court literature; over time, the term extended from religious supplication to everyday longing and goals, reflecting Shinto and Buddhist influences on expressing wishes.

Composition

The kanji 願 conveys the core idea of wishing or desiring; the final い is a nominalizing suffix that turns the verb 願う into the noun 願い, yielding the concept of a wish or desire.

Usage

Used as a standalone noun to express a personal wish or desire; in formal speech and writing, it can denote prayers or petitions; in casual language, it refers to everyday hopes and dreams; common constructions include 願いを込める, 願いを叶える, and 願い事.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: think of negai as a personal wish that you hold in your mind and aim toward realization; the -ai ending marks it as a noun linked to wanting something to happen.

Variations

  • 希望 (kibou) — hope or wish
  • 願望 (ganbou) — strong longing or desire
  • 祈り (inori) — prayer
  • 望み (nozomi) — wish or expectation

Example Phrases

  • 空港の 両替所で 両替をお願いします 1万円分をください すぐ用意します
    Kukou no ryougaejo de ryougae o onegai shimasu ichiman-en-bun o kudasai sugu youi shimasu
    At the airport’s currency exchange, please exchange 10,000 yen; I’ll have it ready right away.
    Lista:
    • 空港の (Kukou no) – at the airport
    • 両替所で (ryougaejo de) – at the currency exchange desk
    • 両替をお願いします (ryougae o onegai shimasu) – please exchange money
    • 1万円分をください (ichiman-en-bun o kudasai) – please give me 10,000 yen worth
    • すぐ用意します (sugu youi shimasu) – I’ll prepare it right away
    Here, 「両替」 acts as the noun meaning currency exchange, used with をお願いします to request the service.
  • 本日中に資料を提出してください、何卒よろしくお願いいたします。
    honjitsu-chū ni shiryō o teishutsu shite kudasai, nanitozo yoroshiku onegaishimasu.
    Please submit the documents by today; I would greatly appreciate it.
    Lista:
    • 本日中に (honjitsu-chū ni) – by today
    • 資料を (shiryō o) – the documents
    • 提出してください (teishutsu shite kudasai) – please submit
    • 何卒よろしくお願いいたします (nanitozo yoroshiku onegaishimasu) – I would greatly appreciate it
    何卒 is a formal, polite request word, read 「なにとぞ」, used to emphasize a plea at the end of a request. Here it heightens the politeness of ‘please submit.’
  • 願いを 叶えるために 今日も 小さな 努力を 重ねる。
    Negai o kanaeru tame ni kyou mo chiisana doryoku o kasaneru.
    Today as well, I’m continuing small efforts to make my wish come true.
    Lista:
    • 願いを (negai o) – the wish
    • 叶えるために (kanaeru tame ni) – to fulfill
    • 今日も (kyou mo) – today as well
    • 小さな (chiisana) – small
    • 努力を (doryoku o) – effort
    • 重ねる (kasaneru) – to accumulate
    The noun 「願い」 means ‘wish’; here it is the object of 叶える; combined with 「ために」 to express purpose.
  • 今朝、 学校の 友達に 伝言を 伝えておいて くれる よう、 お願いしました。
    kesa, gakkō no tomodachi ni dengon o tsutaete oite kureru yō, onegaishimashita.
    This morning, I asked a school friend to pass along the message.
    Lista:
    • 今朝、 (kesa,) – This morning,
    • 学校の (gakkō no) – school’s
    • 友達に (tomodachi ni) – to a friend
    • 伝言を (dengon o) – the message (object)
    • 伝えておいて (tsutaete oite) – relay in advance
    • くれる (kureru) – to give / to do for me
    • よう、 (yō,) – so that / in order to
    • お願いしました。 (onegaishimashita.) – I asked
    核心ポイント: 「伝言」 is a noun meaning 「message to relay」; it is the direct object of 「伝える」. Here 「伝言を伝えておいてくれるよう」 expresses asking someone to relay the message in advance.
  • この 商品 の 取り扱い は 丁寧 に お願いします。
    Kono shōhin no toriatsukai wa teinei ni onegaishimasu.
    Please handle this product with care.
    Lista:
    • この (kono) – this
    • 商品 (shōhin) – product
    • の (no) – possessive/of
    • 取り扱い (toriatsukai) – handling
    • は (wa) – topic marker
    • 丁寧 (teinei) – polite
    • に (ni) – to/at
    • お願いします (onegaishimasu) – please
    Core grammar: 「取り扱い」 means ‘handling’; here 「商品の取り扱い」 is the topic marked by 「は」, meaning ‘the handling of this product’.
願い