要

2 readings · tap one to hear it

to want; to need; to ask for; will; shall; about to; need to; should; if (same as 要是[yao4 shi5]); (bound form) important

Sound it out + = · + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Ideographic compound (会意字)

A woman 女 with hands on her waist 覀

Components 覀女

want · Heisig RSH #1254

Old West + 女 woman

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
重要	zhòng yào	important; significant; major
死要面子	sǐ yào miàn zi	to regard face as all-important; to consider loss of face unthinkable
要面子	yào miàn zi	see 愛面子\|爱面子[ai4 mian4 zi5]
高要区	Gāo yāo Qū	Gaoyao, a district of Zhaoqing City 肇慶市\|肇庆市[Zhao4 qing4 Shi4], Guangdong
重要性	zhòng yào xìng	importance
要不得	yào bu de	intolerable; unacceptable
要不然	yào bù rán	otherwise; or else; or
要死不活	yào sǐ bù huó	half dead; more dead than alive
不要	bù yào	don't!; must not
要不	yào bù	otherwise; or else; how about...?; either... (or...)
大要	dà yào	abstract; gist; main points
要子	yào zi	straw rope
要人	yào rén	important person
有话要说	yǒu huà yào shuō	to speak one's mind
要地	yào dì	strategic location
自要	zì yào	so long as; provided that
要风得风，要雨得雨	yào fēng dé fēng , yào yǔ dé yǔ	to get whatever one wants; to have everything going one's way
机要	jī yào	(attributive) (of a person) involved in sensitive, confidential work; (of information) sec…
要有	yào yǒu	to need; to require; must have
会要	huì yào	dynastic records of imperial China

These characters use 要 as their sound component — compare how they read.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
要 sound part	yào	essential, necessary; to ask for; to coerce; to demand
腰	yāo	waist, lower back; middle; pocket
崾	yǎo	a place name in Shanxi province