要(yào)

HSK 19 strokes
Readingsyàoyāo

(bound form) to demand

Print a 要 worksheet PDFPractice writing 要

Stroke order animation

Character information

Pinyin
yào / yāo
Meaning
(bound form) to demand; to coerce
Strokes
9
HSK level
HSK 1
Traditional
Same

Origin & structure

Where 要 comes from and how its parts fit together.

Ideograph⿱覀女

A woman 女 with hands on her waist 覀

A combination of parts whose meanings add up to the whole.

Made of

覀yà女nǚ

Parts are arranged top to bottom.

How to write 要 step by step

9 strokes — each frame adds one stroke, shown in dark ink over the lighter ones.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9

Words with 要

Common words using 要 — tap any character to open its stroke-order page.

bù不yào要
HSK 2

don't!; must not

Open 不要 page →
zhǔ主yào要
HSK 2

main; principal; major; primary

Open 主要 page →
zhǐ只yào要
HSK 2

so long as; provided; if

Open 只要 page →
jiù就yào要
HSK 2

will

Open 就要 page →
kuài快yào要
HSK 2

nearly at the point of (doing sth); about to (do sth)

Open 快要 page →
bì必yào要
HSK 3

necessary

Open 必要 page →
bù不yào要jǐn紧
HSK 4

unimportant

Open 不要紧 page →
jiāng将yào要
HSK 5

will

Open 将要 page →

Related characters

More HSK 1 characters

一七三上下不东两

From 要’s common words

不主只就快必紧将

Ready to master 要?

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