要 yào want
want; will; must
yào (to want; must) and yāo (to demand) - 需要 xūyào to need, 要求 yāoqiú to require
How to remember 要: 覀 west + 女 woman = want. In the west wing of the shoe shop the woman points at the red boots and says "Those are the ones I want!"
Component breakdown
要 = 覀 west + 女 woman
- 覀 west
- 女 woman
In the west wing of the shoe shop the woman points at the red boots and says "Those are the ones I want!"
How it came to be
A figure with both hands at the waist, gripping. It was the word for the waist itself, the narrow part everything hangs on, and from the essential place came the essential thing, then wanting it.
How it is used
- Read from context as want / will / must - 我要茶 (wǒ yào chá) I want tea, 要下雨了 (yào xià yǔ le) it's about to rain, 要小心 (yào xiǎoxīn) must be careful.
- Want to do is 要 + verb; its negative splits - 不要 (bú yào) means don't! (a prohibition), while don't want is 不想 (bù xiǎng).
- Read yāo it means to ask for or to demand - 要求 (yāoqiú) to request, a demand.
Characters built with 要
Words with 要
- 不要búyàodon't!HSK 1
- 快要kuàiyàonearly at the point of (doing something)HSK 2
- 只要zhǐyàoso long asHSK 3
- 需要xūyàoto needHSK 3
- 重要zhòngyàoimportantHSK 3
- 要求yāoqiúdemandHSK 3
- 主要zhǔyàomainHSK 3
- 要是yàoshiifHSK 4
- 将要jiāngyàowillHSK 4
- 不要紧búyàojǐnunimportantHSK 5
- 必要bìyàonecessaryHSK 5
- 要不yàobùotherwiseHSK 5
- 要不是yàobúshìif it were not forHSK 5
- 至关重要zhìguān-zhòngyàoextremely importantHSK 6
- 要么yàomeorHSK 6
- 要点yàodiǎnmain pointHSK 6
- 要素yàosùessential factorHSK 6
- 首要shǒuyàothe most importantHSK 6
- 无关紧要wúguān-jǐnyàoindifferentHSK 7
- 次要cìyàosecondaryHSK 7
- 简要jiǎnyàoconciseHSK 7
- 纪要jìyàominutesHSK 7
- 要命yàomìngto cause somebody's deathHSK 7
- 要好yàohǎoto be on good termsHSK 7
- 要害yàohàivital partHSK 7
- 要紧yàojǐnimportantHSK 7
- 摘要zhāiyàosummaryHSK 8
- 纲要gāngyàooutlineHSK 9
- 要强yàoqiángeager to excelHSK 9
- 要领yàolǐngmain aspectsHSK 9
Example sentences
- 吃饭前要洗手。 Chīfàn qián yào xǐshǒu.We have to wash our hands before eating.
- 她最近就要出国了。 Tā zuìjìn jiùyào chūguó le.She will go abroad soon.
- 我忘记要做什么了。 Wǒ wàngjì yào zuò shénme le.I forgot what to do.
- 下雨了，可是我还是要出门。 Xiàyǔ le, kěshì wǒ háishi yào chūmén.Even though it's raining I still have to go out.