ideally; if one were to wish for more
Used to introduce a wish or desire that goes beyond the current situation, often with a sense of 'if I could be greedy' or 'to be honest about what I really want'. Similar to 欲を言えば.
See also: 欲を言えば
Ideally, I'd like a little more time.
This apartment is convenient, but if I were to wish for more, I'd like it to be a bit closer to the station.
Standard kanji-kana spelling for this fixed expression.
Kana spelling of the first part; less common but still used.
From 欲 (greed, desire) + を (object marker) + 言う (to say) + と (conditional). Literally 'if one speaks of desires', it has become a set phrase meaning 'ideally' or 'if I could ask for more'.