I want

/aɪ wɑːnt/
원해요

I want a cup of coffee.

저는 커피 한 잔을 원해요.


neutral

원하다, 바라다

She said, 'I want to go home now.'

그녀는 '저는 지금 집에 가고 싶어요.'라고 말했어요.

Do you want some water?

물 좀 원해요?

Used to express desire or preference. Can sound direct; in polite contexts, 'I would like' (원해요/원합니다) is often preferred.

콜로케이션

I want to + verb~고 싶어요I want + noun~을/를 원해요

프로 팁

Politeness Tip

In Korean, 'I want' can sound demanding. Use '~고 싶어요' (I would like to) for softer requests, e.g., '저는 가고 싶어요' (I would like to go).

황금 법칙

Direct vs. Indirect

Avoid 'I want' in formal settings. Instead, use 'I would like' (원합니다) or 'Could I have...?' (주시겠어요?).

어원

From Old English 'ic wille' (I wish), combining the first-person pronoun 'I' with the verb 'want' (from Old Norse 'vanta' meaning 'to lack').

사용 참고

'I want' is straightforward but can sound blunt in requests. In Korean, it translates to '원해요' (casual) or '원합니다' (formal). For requests, '주세요' (please give me) is often added in Korean (e.g., '커피 주세요' = 'I want coffee, please').

단어 분해

I
1인칭 주어 (first-person subject)
pronoun
+
want
원하다 (to desire, to wish for)
verb
영한사전