Japanese for Sharing Dreams: Expressing 'Someday I Want To...'
Learn to talk about broad life dreams in Japanese using いつか…たい and 夢は…ことです. Practice sharing hopes beyond career goals.
By PookieFriends & plans · Yapr Learn
In Japanese, talking about dreams often involves the word 夢 (yume). Unlike career goals, which might be discussed with 目標 (mokuhyō), dreams are broader life aspirations. This lesson teaches you to express 'Someday I want to...' using いつか (itsuka) and the desire form 〜たい (〜tai). You'll also learn to nominalize verbs with こと (koto) to say 'My dream is to...'. We'll focus on natural phrasing for sharing hopes in conversation, distinguishing dreams from concrete goals. By the end, you'll be able to talk about your own dreams and ask others about theirs, using appropriate politeness levels.
By the end, you can…
- express a future dream using いつか…たいです.
- state a dream as a noun phrase using 夢は…ことです.
- ask someone about their dreams politely.
- distinguish between 夢 (dream) and 目標 (goal) in conversation.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
いつか世界を旅したいです。
Someday I want to travel the world.
Itsuka sekai o tabi shitai desu.
Use いつか to express an indefinite future. 旅したい is the desire form of 旅する (to travel).
私の夢は小説を書くことです。
My dream is to write a novel.
Watashi no yume wa shōsetsu o kaku koto desu.
Nominalize the verb 書く with こと to make it the predicate. This pattern is common for defining dreams.
将来、海の見える家に住みたいです。
In the future, I want to live in a house with a view of the sea.
Shōrai, umi no mieru ie ni sumitai desu.
将来 (shōrai) means 'in the future'. 海の見える家 is a relative clause modifying 家.
夢は何ですか。
What is your dream?
Yume wa nan desu ka.
A polite way to ask about someone's dream. Use 夢はありますか (Do you have a dream?) if you want to be less direct.
いつか自分のレストランを開きたいです。
Someday I want to open my own restaurant.
Itsuka jibun no resutoran o hirakitai desu.
開く (hiraku) means 'to open' (a business). 自分の emphasizes 'my own'.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
To express a dream, combine いつか (someday) with the 〜たい form of a verb. For example, いつか日本に住みたいです (Itsuka Nihon ni sumitai desu) means 'Someday I want to live in Japan.' The 〜たい form is made by changing the verb's ます-stem: 住みます → 住みたい. For negative desires, use 〜たくない: いつか死にたくない (Itsuka shinitakunai) 'I don't want to die someday'—though this is uncommon. To nominalize, use こと: 夢は日本に住むことです (Yume wa Nihon ni sumu koto desu) 'My dream is to live in Japan.'
When to use it
Use 夢 (dream) for broad life aspirations, like いつか宇宙に行きたい (Itsuka uchū ni ikitai) 'Someday I want to go to space.' Use 目標 (goal) for specific, measurable targets, like 毎日日本語を勉強する (Mainichi Nihongo o benkyō suru) 'Study Japanese every day.' In conversation, 夢 is often used with いつか to sound aspirational. When asking others, 夢は何ですか is direct but polite; 夢はありますか is softer. Avoid using 夢 for trivial wants; it implies a significant life aim.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
ゆきさん、夢は何ですか。
Yuki, what is your dream?Yuki-san, yume wa nan desu ka.いつか世界中を旅したいです。それから、絵本を書きたいです。
Someday I want to travel around the world. And I want to write a picture book.Itsuka sekaijū o tabi shitai desu. Sorekara, ehon o kakitai desu.素敵ですね。私の夢は、海の見える家に住むことです。
That's lovely. My dream is to live in a house with a view of the sea.Suteki desu ne. Watashi no yume wa, umi no mieru ie ni sumu koto desu.いいですね。いつか一緒に旅行しましょう。
That's nice. Let's travel together someday.Ii desu ne. Itsuka issho ni ryokō shimashō.A little context goes a long way
In Japanese, sharing dreams is often done with modesty. Using いつか softens the statement, making it sound like a distant hope rather than a firm plan. When responding to someone's dream, acknowledge it with 素敵ですね (Suteki desu ne) or いいですね (Ii desu ne) to show appreciation. Avoid bluntly saying 無理です (Muridesu) 'It's impossible,' as it can be discouraging. Instead, offer supportive comments like 応援しています (Ōen shiteimasu) 'I'm rooting for you.'
One thing to watch for
Using 夢は〜たいです instead of 夢は〜ことです.
Try this instead: When defining a dream as a noun, use こと: 夢は小説を書くことです (Yume wa shōsetsu o kaku koto desu) 'My dream is to write a novel.' Using 〜たいです directly after 夢は is incorrect because 夢 is a noun and needs a noun predicate. However, you can say 夢は小説を書きたいです if you rephrase as 'As for my dream, I want to write a novel,' but it's less natural.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'Someday I want to live in Japan' in Japanese?
Show a sample answer
いつか日本に住みたいです。
This uses いつか for 'someday' and the 〜たい form of 住む (to live). Alternative: 将来、日本に住みたいです (Shōrai, Nihon ni sumitai desu) is also correct.
2What is the difference between 夢 and 目標?
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夢 is a broad life dream, while 目標 is a specific goal.
夢 often uses いつか and is aspirational, like いつか世界を旅したい. 目標 is measurable, like 毎日勉強する. Both are valid depending on context.
3Translate: 'My dream is to open my own restaurant.'
Show a sample answer
私の夢は自分のレストランを開くことです。
This uses こと to nominalize 開く. You could also say いつか自分のレストランを開きたいです, which shifts focus to the desire rather than the dream itself.
Use いつか…たいです for 'Someday I want to...' and 夢は…ことです to define your dream as a noun. Keep the tone modest and supportive when discussing dreams.
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