Easily confusedHSK 3

愿意 vs 希望 (yuànyì vs xīwàng): willingness or hope

愿意 expresses a subject’s own willingness or readiness to perform an action, while 希望 expresses a desire for a certain outcome, often involving others or external situations. Use 愿意 when you want to say you are willing to do something yourself; use 希望 when you are hoping for something to happen, especially when it depends on others or circumstances beyond your direct control.

Both 愿意 and 希望 can be translated as 'would like' or 'wish', but they focus on different aspects. 愿意 emphasizes the subject's own willingness to do something, implying consent or choice. 希望 focuses on a wish for a situation to occur, often involving an outcome or another person’s action, and does not necessarily require the subject's own participation. The core distinction is willingness to act vs. desire for a result.

使い分け

愿意yuàn yì
be willing

Use 愿意 when the subject is personally willing to perform an action. It indicates a readiness or consent from the subject themselves, often in response to a request or suggestion. For example, 'I am willing to help' or 'He is not willing to go'.

愿意 can also be used to express a preference in polite offers, such as 'Would you like some tea?', but it still implies willingness to accept rather than a wish for it to happen.

希望xī wàng
hope

Use 希望 when expressing a wish for a certain situation, event, or action by others. It is often followed by a clause describing the desired outcome, which may or may not involve the speaker’s own action. For example, 'I hope you can come' or 'We hope the weather will be good tomorrow'.

希望 can also be used with the subject’s own action when emphasizing the desire for that action to happen as a result, but it still conveys a wish rather than a statement of willingness. For example, 'I hope to see you again' (focus on the wish, not the readiness).

ひと目で分かる

愿意希望
Core meaningWillingness to actHope for a result
Subject of the verbSubject is the agent who will do the actionSubject may not be the agent; the outcome can involve others
Typical objectVerb phrase (willing to do something)Clause or verb phrase (hope that something happens)
Negation不愿意 = not willing不希望 = do not hope / not wish
Polite offersCommon: 你愿意...? (Are you willing to...?)Not used for offers; use 希望 for wishes

例文

  • 愿意
    愿意帮助你。
    Wǒ yuàn yì bāng zhù nǐ.
    I am willing to help you.
    Expresses personal willingness to act.
  • 愿意
    他不愿意去参加聚会。
    Tā bú yuàn yì qù cān jiā jù huì.
    He is not willing to go to the party.
    Negation shows unwillingness.
  • 希望
    希望你明天能来。
    Wǒ xī wàng nǐ míng tiān néng lái.
    I hope you can come tomorrow.
    Hopeful about another person’s action.
  • 希望
    我们希望天气会变好。
    Wǒ men xī wàng tiān qì huì biàn hǎo.
    We hope the weather will get better.
    Wish about an external situation.
  • 希望
    希望自己能学好中文。
    Wǒ xī wàng zì jǐ néng xué hǎo zhōng wén.
    I hope I can learn Chinese well.
    Can be used with own action, but emphasizes desire for outcome, not willingness.
  • 愿意
    愿意喝杯茶吗?
    Nǐ yuàn yì hē bēi chá ma?
    Would you like a cup of tea?
    Polite offer asking for willingness.

よくある間違い

  • Saying ‘我希望去’ when you mean ‘I am willing to go’: 希望 suggests a wish (maybe impossible), but if you are just offering to go, use 我愿意去.
  • Saying ‘我愿意他能来’ (I am willing he can come): cannot use 愿意 for someone else’s action; use 希望 (我希望他能来).
  • Using 希望 in direct offers: ‘你希望喝茶吗?’ is unnatural; use 愿意 for offers (你愿意喝茶吗?).
  • Confusing the negation: 不愿意 means 'not willing', while 不希望 means 'do not hope' – they are not interchangeable.

よくある質問

When do I use 愿意 vs 希望?
Use 愿意 when you are talking about your own willingness to do something. Use 希望 when you are expressing a desire for something to happen, especially when it involves others or external conditions.
Can 希望 be used for my own actions?
Yes, but it shifts the focus to your wish for that action to occur as a desired outcome. For example, 我希望去北京 means 'I hope to go to Beijing' (emphasizing the wish). If you simply mean you are willing to go, use 我愿意去北京.
Is there a difference in formality?
Both are neutral in register. 愿意 can be used in polite offers and refusals, while 希望 is common in both spoken and written Chinese to express hopes and wishes.
Can 愿意 and 希望 be used in the same sentence?
Yes, but with different meanings. For example: 我愿意做这件事,但希望你帮忙。 (I am willing to do this, but I hope you will help.)