Trying to figure out how to say: 'He just wants to be held'


Alright so I'm trying to translate this sentence and I've found so much
conflicting stuff I'm unsure of what's right. Also trying to figure out how to
put two verbs in the same sentence, so here's what I have:

彼は だけ あやしますーそれともーあやしがっています。The type of 'held' I'm looking for is for a baby
being held. 'Rocked' would also work which is where I got yashimasu. I've also
seen hoshigatta deshou, and kakaemashou, however I'm just not experienced
enough to figure out which one to use and how to equate the verb 'want' and
'to be held' confidently. What I'm looking for is am I even on the right track
with this translation, or have I completely missed it? If I have completely
missed it how do I fix it?




By far the most often-used verb phrase for " ** _to hold (a baby)_** " is:

> 「抱{だ}っこする」

To say "He just wants to be held.", the more common sentences would include:

「（その子{こ}は）抱っこされたがっているだけです。」 ← My personal recommendation

「（その子は）抱っこしてほしがっているだけです。」

Using the verb 「あやす」, which you mentioned, would not be very natural here.

I will not explain this as it has been explained multiple times here, but
expressing others' wants and desires in Japanese is more complex than
expressing one's own, which is why we rarely, if ever, say 「その子は抱っこされたい」 even
though that is the kind of sentence Japanese-learners tend to come up with
when they try to translate directly from "He wants to be held.".

Finally, be extra-careful about using the verb 「抱く」 and its various forms
here. Those can mean what you do not want to say and that is the main reason
that I posted my answer to introduce the more appropriate 「抱っこする」 with babies.

Use 「抱く」、「抱かれる」、「抱きたい」, etc. and people might think you are talking about
different kinds of **_babes_** if you know what I mean.

