要 meaning in English
to want; to need; to ask for; will; shall; about to
Meaning of 要
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- 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 to use 要
要 (yào) is one of the most common verbs in Chinese. It can mean "to want" with a noun, "need to" or "will" before a verb, and 要...了 means something is about to happen. Example: 我要一杯咖啡。(Wǒ yào yì bēi kāfēi.) I want a cup of coffee.
Picture 要 as a woman 女 (nǚ) at the bottom holding a bag or box 覀 over her head, saying "I want this." The thing held up high is what she wants and needs.
Common mistake: Learners often use 不要 (bùyào) to say "I don't want to," but 不要 + verb usually sounds like "Don't do it." To say you don't want to do something, 不想 (bù xiǎng) is often more natural. Also remember 要求 is read yāoqiú with first tone, not yàoqiú.
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.
要 yào · to want · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
Related words
Words that share a character with 要.
| 重要 | zhòngyào | important; significant; major |
| 不要 | bùyào | don't!; must not |
| 只要 | zhǐyào | so long as; provided; if |
| 就要 | jiùyào | will; shall |
| 要求 | yāoqiú | to request; to require |
| 主要 | zhǔyào | main; principal; major; primary |
| 快要 | kuàiyào | nearly at the point of (doing sth); about to (do sth) |
| 需要 | xūyào | to need; to want; to demand; to require; needs |
| 要是 | yàoshi | (coll.) if |
| 必要 | bìyào | necessary; essential |
| 不要紧 | bùyàojǐn | unimportant; not serious |
| 将要 | jiāngyào | will; shall |
Questions about 要
What does 要 mean?
要 (yào) means "to want; to need; to ask for; will; shall; about to" and is used as a verb and conjunction.
How do you write 要?
要 is made of 1 character: 要 (9 strokes). That is 9 strokes in total.
Is 要 an HSK word?
Yes. 要 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 要 and 想 for "want"?
要 (yào) is stronger and more direct, close to "I want" or "I'm going to." 想 (xiǎng) is softer, like "I would like to" or "I'm thinking of." When ordering food, 我要 is normal and not rude.
How do I say something is about to happen with 要?
Use 要...了 or 就要...了 around the verb. For example, 火车要开了。(Huǒchē yào kāi le.) The train is about to leave. 就要 adds a sense that it will happen very soon.