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要
yào
1. important
2. vital
3. to want
4. to ask for
5. will
6. going to (as future auxiliary)
7. may
8. must
9. (used in a comparison) must be
10. probably
11. if
HSK 2 Very Common • Top 0% ✏️ 9 strokes

Character Breakdown (Single character)

要
yào
essential, necessary; to ask for; to coerce; to demand
HSK 2 9 丶

Compound Words (20)

要是
yàoshi
if
HSK 4
要末
yàome
variant of [[要麼|要么<yàome>]]
要击
yāojī
to intercept
要旨
yàozhǐ
the gist (of a text or argument)
要晕
yāoyūn
confused
要有
yàoyǒu
to need
要嘛
yàoma
either ...
要挟
yāoxié
to threaten
要员
yàoyuán
key participant
要命
yàomìng
to cause sb's death
HSK 6
要好
yàohǎo
to be on good terms
要径
yàojìng
important path
要害
yàohài
crucial
要强
yàoqiáng
eager to excel
要事
yàoshì
important matter
只要
zhǐyào
if only
HSK 4
自要
zìyào
so long as
要得
yàodé
good
要不
yàobù
otherwise
HSK 5
要件
yàojiàn
key document

Example Sentences (10)

我们要不要买几个新的椅子？
Wǒmen yào bú yào mǎi jǐ gè xīn de yǐzi?
Shall we buy a few new chairs?
Text 3
别看报纸了，医生说你要多休息。
Bié kàn bàozhǐ le,yīshēng shuō nǐ yào duō xiūxi.
Stop reading the newspaper; the doctor said you need more rest.
Text 2
这个笔记本电脑我去年买的时候要五千块左右，现在便宜多了。
Zhège bǐjìběn diànnǎo wǒ qùnián mǎi de shíhou yào wǔ qiān kuài zuǒyòu, xiànzài piányi duō le.
When I bought this laptop last year, it cost around five thousand yuan. It’s much cheaper now.
Text 4
天阴了，我要回家了。
Tiān yīn le, wǒ yào huí jiā le.
It's overcast; I'm going home.
Text 4
是，昨天去看了看，今天又去看了看，明天还要再去看看。
shì,zuótiān qù kàn le kàn,jīntiān yòu qù kàn le kàn,míngtiān hái yào zài qù kàn kan.
Yes, I went to take a look yesterday, I went to take a look again today, and I will go take another look tomorrow.
Text 1
这个地方每年夏天都要举行一次啤酒节。
Zhège dìfāng měinián xiàtiān dōu yào jǔxíng yí cì píjiǔjié.
This place holds a beer festival once every summer.
Text 4
是啊，我每天早上都要出去跑步。
shì a, wǒ měitiān zǎoshang dōu yào chūqù pǎobù.
Yeah, I go out for a run every morning.
Text 1
但是你知道怎么运动吗？第一，要选择“对”的时间。
Dànshì nǐ zhīdao zěnme yùndòng ma? Dì yī,yào xuǎnzé "duì" de shíjiān.
But do you know how to exercise? First, choose the 'right' time.
Text 4
一般来说，早上9点是最好的时间，冬天要再晚一些。
yìbān lái shuō, zǎoshang jiǔ diǎn shì zuì hǎo de shíjiān, dōngtiān yào zài wǎn yìxiē.
Generally speaking, 9 a.m. is the best time; in winter, it should be a bit later.
Text 4
我儿子生病了，我要在家照顾他。
Wǒ érzi shēngbìng le,wǒ yào zài jiā zhàogù tā.
My son is sick. I need to take care of him at home.
Text 2

Alternate Entries

要
yāo
to demand / to request / to coerce
HSK 2

Metadata

Category
Chinese
HSK Character Level
2
Character Frequency Rank
25
Word Frequency Rank
17 of 84,292