Meaning of 就要
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- will
- shall
- to be going to
How to use 就要
就要 marks something that will happen very soon, and it usually pairs with 了 (le) at the end of the sentence. It often follows a time word to stress how close the event is. Example: 火车就要开了。(Huǒchē jiùyào kāi le.) The train is about to leave.
就 (jiù) means right away, and 要 (yào) means about to or will. Put them together and something is right about to happen: 就要 (jiùyào) is 'very soon now'.
Common mistake: Learners often drop the final 了, saying 我就要走 when the natural form is 我就要走了 (Wǒ jiùyào zǒu le), I'm about to leave. Also do not confuse it with 只要 (zhǐyào), which means 'as long as' and introduces a condition.
就要 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
就 jiù · in that case · 12 strokes
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要 yào · to want · 9 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 就要.
| 重要 | zhòngyào | important; significant; major |
| 不要 | bùyào | don't!; must not |
| 只要 | zhǐyào | so long as; provided; if |
| 要求 | yāoqiú | to request; to require |
| 早就 | zǎo jiù | already at an earlier time |
| 主要 | zhǔyào | main; principal; major; primary |
| 快要 | kuàiyào | nearly at the point of (doing sth); about to (do sth) |
| 就是 | jiùshì | exactly; precisely; only; simply; just |
| 需要 | xūyào | to need; to want; to demand; to require; needs |
| 要是 | yàoshi | (coll.) if |
| 必要 | bìyào | necessary; essential |
| 成就 | chéngjiù | accomplishment; success |
Questions about 就要
What does 就要 mean?
就要 (jiùyào) means "will; shall" and is used as a adverb.
How do you write 就要?
就要 is made of 2 characters: 就 (12 strokes), 要 (9 strokes). That is 21 strokes in total.
Is 就要 an HSK word?
Yes. 就要 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 就要 and 快要?
Both mean 'about to' and both usually end with 了. 就要 can follow a specific time word, as in 明天就要考试了 (míngtiān jiùyào kǎoshì le), the exam is tomorrow. 快要 normally cannot take a specific time before it.
Can 就要 mean 'just want' instead of 'about to'?
Yes, in some contexts 就 means 'only' or 'insist' and 要 means 'want', so 我就要这个 (wǒ jiù yào zhège) means 'I want this one and no other'. Without 了 and with an object like this, read it as 'insist on wanting', not 'about to'.