Politeness is very important in Japanese and affects how people say what they want or intend to do. In Japanese, there are different ways to be polite, and this can change the words and sentences used to express desires. There are three main levels of politeness: casual, polite, and honorific.

1. Casual Speech:

   • This is used with friends and family.
   • To show desire, people use the verb form "〜たい" added to the verb.
   • For example, "食べたい" (tabetai) means "I want to eat."

2. Polite Speech:

   • This is common in public places or at work.
   • Politeness is shown by adding "-ます" to the verb.
   • So, "I want to eat" becomes "食べたいです" (tabetai desu).

3. Honorific Speech:

   • This is used when talking to someone who is important or has a higher status.
   • In this case, the phrase might change to "〜たがる" to show someone else's desire.
   • For example, "先生は食べたがっています" (sensei wa tabetagatte imasu) means "The teacher wants to eat."

A survey from 2022 found that about 70% of Japanese people change the way they speak based on who they are talking to. Using honorific forms can make it less direct when expressing what someone wants, which can really affect how people communicate.

Learning these different levels of politeness helps people who are learning Japanese not only to speak better but also to understand how to interact with others. Being polite is not just about grammar; it’s also about saying things in the right way for the situation.