要 meaning and stroke order
To want; to need; to ask for; will; shall; about to; need to; should
How to write 要, stroke by stroke
9 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 要
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to want; to need; to ask for
- will; shall; about to
- need to; should
- if (same as 要是[yao4 shi5])
- (bound form) important
- (bound form) to demand; to coerce
How 要 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A woman 女 with hands on her waist 覀.
Radical: 覀 (west), shared by 6 characters on this site.
How to remember 要
The top part 覀 shows hands on a waist, and the bottom is a woman 女. Picture a woman standing with hands on her hips, firmly saying what she wants: 要 (yào), to want or demand.
要 (yào) is one of the most common verbs in Chinese. It can mean to want something, need to do something, or mark the near future, as in 快要 (kuàiyào) about to. Example: 我要一杯咖啡。(Wǒ yào yì bēi kāfēi.) I want a cup of coffee.
Common mistake: In 要求 (yāoqiú, to request) the character is first tone yāo, not fourth tone yào, and learners often say it the wrong way. Also, 不要 (bùyào) usually means "don't" as a command, so to say "I don't want it," many speakers say 我不想要 (wǒ bù xiǎng yào).
Common words with 要
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 重要 | zhòngyào | important; significant; major | HSK 1 |
| 不要 | bùyào | don't!; must not | HSK 2 |
| 只要 | zhǐyào | so long as; provided; if | HSK 2 |
| 就要 | jiùyào | will; shall | HSK 2 |
| 要求 | yāoqiú | to request; to require | HSK 2 |
| 主要 | zhǔyào | main; principal; major; primary | HSK 2 |
| 快要 | kuàiyào | nearly at the point of (doing sth); about to (do sth) | HSK 2 |
| 需要 | xūyào | to need; to want; to demand; to require; needs | HSK 3 |
| 要是 | yàoshi | (coll.) if | HSK 3 |
| 必要 | bìyào | necessary; essential | HSK 3 |
| 不要紧 | bùyàojǐn | unimportant; not serious | HSK 4 |
| 将要 | jiāngyào | will; shall | HSK 5 |
| 要么 | yàome | or; either one or the other | HSK 6 |
| 要不然 | yàobùrán | otherwise; or else | HSK 6 |
要 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 要
Learning 要 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 要
How many strokes are in 要?
要 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 要 mean?
要 (yào) means to want; to need; to ask for; will; shall; about to; need to; should. A common word with it is 重要 (zhòngyào), meaning "important; significant; major".
How do you pronounce 要?
要 is pronounced yào, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 要?
The radical of 要 is 覀, which carries the idea of "west". Dictionaries list 要 under this radical.
Is 要 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 要 is part of the HSK 1 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 1.
What is the difference between 要 and 想 for "want"?
要 (yào) is firmer and more direct, often used when ordering or stating a clear intention. 想 (xiǎng) is softer and means "would like to" or "feel like." 我想喝水 sounds gentler than 我要喝水.
Can 要 mean "if"?
Yes. In speech 要 can mean "if," the same as 要是 (yàoshi). For example, 你要不来，我就走 (nǐ yào bù lái, wǒ jiù zǒu) means "If you don't come, I'll leave."