要
要 (yào) means “to want”. It is made of 覀 + 女 and has 9 strokes, and is an HSK 1 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
Break 要 into its parts
What 要 is made of
- 覀 xī — west
- 女 nǚ — woman
Origin hint: A woman 女 with hands on her waist 覀 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
要 stroke order
Example sentences
我要一杯茶。Wǒ yào yī bēi chá.I'd like a cup of tea.
你要去哪儿？Nǐ yào qù nǎr?Where are you going?
Words with 要
- 重要zhòngyàoimportant
- 不要bùyàodon't
- 就要jiùyàoto be about to
- 快要kuàiyàoto be about to
- 要求yāoqiúto ask
- 只要zhǐyàoas long as
- 主要zhǔyàomain
- 必要bìyàonecessary
- 需要xūyàoto need
- 要是yàoshiif
- 不要紧bùyàojǐnit doesn't matter
- 次要cìyàosecondary
- 要不yàobùotherwise
- 纪要jìyàosummary
- 简要jiǎnyàobrief
- 首要shǒuyàomost important
- 要点yàodiǎnmain points
- 要命yàomìngterribly
- 要素yàosùkey element
- 摘要zhāiyàosummary
- 将要jiāngyàoto be going to
Also built with 覀
Quick facts
| Pinyin | yào |
|---|---|
| Meaning | to want; will; need to |
| Strokes | 9 |
| Radical | 襾 (west, #146) |
| Pattern | Top–bottom |
| HSK | HSK 1 (exam 2025) · HSK 4 (2021) · Old HSK 2 |
Questions about 要
What does 要 mean?
要 (yào) means “to want; will; need to”.
How many strokes does 要 have?
要 has 9 strokes.
What is the radical of 要?
The radical of 要 is 襾 (yà, “west”), Kangxi radical number 146.
What parts make up 要?
要 is made of 覀 (west) and 女 (woman).
Which HSK level is 要?
要 is in HSK 1 (exam 2025) and HSK 4 (2021) and Old HSK 2.
Learn 要 with its group
It is part of HSK 1 (2021) · Group 2: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.