-고 싶어요: How to Say Want to in Korean

-고 싶어요 means “want to do.” It is one of the most useful early Korean patterns because it turns verbs you already know into personal goals, plans, and conversation questions.

한국에 가고 싶어요. → I want to go to Korea.
김치를 먹고 싶어요. → I want to eat kimchi.
한국어를 잘하고 싶어요. → I want to be good at Korean.

Open the free -고 싶다 grammar reference for more examples.

How to form it

Take the dictionary verb, remove 다, then add -고 싶어요.

Dictionary form	Stem	Result
가다	가	가고 싶어요
먹다	먹	먹고 싶어요
보다	보	보고 싶어요
배우다	배우	배우고 싶어요

There is no vowel-harmony decision here. That makes the form much easier than many 아/어 endings.

Use it for your own wants

집에 가고 싶어요. → I want to go home.
커피를 마시고 싶어요. → I want to drink coffee.
주말에 쉬고 싶어요. → I want to rest on the weekend.
한국 친구를 만나고 싶어요. → I want to meet Korean friends.

This pattern works especially well with action verbs.

Ask what someone wants to do

뭐 하고 싶어요? → What do you want to do?
뭐 먹고 싶어요? → What do you want to eat?
어디에 가고 싶어요? → Where do you want to go?

These are high-value conversation questions because the other person can answer using the same structure.

Negative: -고 싶지 않아요

To say you do not want to do something:

가고 싶지 않아요. → I do not want to go.
먹고 싶지 않아요. → I do not want to eat.
오늘은 공부하고 싶지 않아요. → I do not want to study today.

This is different from 못. “I do not want to go” is about desire; “I cannot go” is inability.

Compare with 안 vs 못.

A useful nuance with 보고 싶어요

보고 싶어요 literally follows 보다 + -고 싶어요, but with people it often means I miss you / I want to see you.

친구가 보고 싶어요. → I miss my friend / I want to see my friend.

This is a good example of why learning whole Korean expressions matters more than translating mechanically.

Common mistakes

Adding -고 싶어요 to nouns

It attaches to a verb stem, not directly to a noun.

Instead of attaching it to 커피, use 마시다:

커피를 마시고 싶어요.

Confusing desire and future

가고 싶어요. → I want to go.
갈 거예요. → I am going to / will go.

Desire and plan are related, but they are not the same. Read -(으)ㄹ 거예요 next.

Mini practice

Turn each verb into “want to.”

배우다 → 배우고 싶어요.
먹다 → 먹고 싶어요.
쉬다 → 쉬고 싶어요.
여행하다 → 여행하고 싶어요.

Then answer out loud: 이번 주말에 뭐 하고 싶어요?

Continue learning

This is a pattern worth overlearning because one small ending lets you talk about dozens of real-life goals immediately.

Frequently asked questions

What does -고 싶어요 mean?

It means want to do something and attaches to a verb stem.

How do I form -고 싶어요?

Remove 다 from the dictionary form and add -고 싶어요, such as 가다 → 가고 싶어요.

How do I say I do not want to?

A common form is -고 싶지 않아요, such as 가고 싶지 않아요.

Can I use -고 싶어요 for another person’s wants?

In simple conversation it can appear in questions, but statements about another person’s internal desire often use other constructions or evidence-based phrasing.

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