The character 要 — “want”: how to write it and what it means
want; need
The Chinese character 要 is read yào and means “want; need”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 要
要 has 9 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 要, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 要 is made of
Below, 女 “woman”.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 要
- 不要don'tHSK 1
- 快要about toHSK 2
- 需要needHSK 3
- 只要as long asHSK 3
- 要求demand; requirementHSK 3
- 重要importantHSK 3
- 主要main; mainlyHSK 3
- 要是if (colloq.)HSK 4
- 将要be about to, soonHSK 4
- 要不otherwise; or maybeHSK 5
- 必要necessaryHSK 5
- 不要紧it's nothing, no problemHSK 5
- 要不是if it weren't forHSK 5
- 要么either… orHSK 6
- 要点main points, gistHSK 6
- 首要primary, foremostHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 要?
要 has 9 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 要 mean?
要 means “want; need”. It appears in 不要 (“don't”), 快要 (“about to”), 需要 (“need”), 只要 (“as long as”).
How do you pronounce 要?
要 is read yào. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 要 have?
9 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 要 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
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