要 (yào) is a Chinese character meaning “to want”. It is written from 覀 (cover (flattened form of the radical 襾)) and 女 (woman; female), one above the other, and takes 9 strokes. It has a second reading, yāo, which turns up in 要求 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “to want”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
覀 + 女
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: modern glyph decomposition, cross-checked against hanzi-writer-data stroke counts (覀 6 + 女 3 = 9)
Memory aid
A flat cover (覀) laid over a woman (女). She wants what is under the lid — and she will not leave until she gets it.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 需要xū yàoto need; to require; needs要 = yào
- 重要zhòng yàoimportant; significant; major要 = yào
- 必要bì yàonecessary; essential要 = yào
- 扼要è yàoconcise; to the point要 = yào
- 纲要gāng yàoessentials; outline要 = yào
Go deeper
All readings
to want; important
to want; to need; must; going to; important
想得到；需要；重要。也放在动词前表示将要或必须。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 需要xū yàoto need; to require; needs要 = yào
- 重要zhòng yàoimportant; significant; major要 = yào
- 必要bì yàonecessary; essential要 = yào
- 扼要è yàoconcise; to the point要 = yào
- 纲要gāng yàoessentials; outline要 = yào
to demand
to ask for; to demand; to request
提出条件，希望得到满足；请求。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 要求yāo qiúto ask for; to demand; a requirement要 = yāo
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 要 mean?
要 (yào) means to want; to need; must; going to; important.
How do you pronounce 要?
Its main reading is yào. It also has a second reading, yāo, which only shows up in certain words such as 要求 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 要 sometimes pronounced yāo?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 要求 it is read yāo.
What parts is 要 made of?
覀 (cover (flattened form of the radical 襾)) and 女 (woman; female), one above the other. The recorded source is: modern glyph decomposition, cross-checked against hanzi-writer-data stroke counts (覀 6 + 女 3 = 9). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 要 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 要?
襾. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 要?
Common ones are 需要, 重要, 必要. The reading of 要 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.