How to write 要 (yào, “to want”)

要, an HSK 1 character, is read yào for “to want” and “will”, and also yāo (“to demand”). As a top-bottom character it splits into 覀 (“west”, the radical), strokes 1–6; 女 (“female”), strokes 7–9, written the top first. On its own it is an HSK 1 word; it also forms 不要 (“don't!”), 快要 (“nearly at the point of”) and 只要 (“so long as”). Japanese reads it you, “need”, as a JLPT N3 kanji.

Pinyin: yào, yāo
Strokes: 9
HSK: 1
Radical: 覀 (“west”)

Stroke by stroke

Horizontal ㇐top leftrightwards
Vertical ㇑top leftdown and right
Horizontal-turn ㇕top leftrightwards → downwards
Vertical ㇑topdownwards
Vertical ㇑topdown and right → downwards
Horizontal ㇐leftrightwards
Left-falling then dot ㇛centerdownwards → down and right
Left-falling stroke ㇒centerdownwards → down and left
Horizontal ㇐leftrightwards

Names of the strokes

Japanese and Chinese

Japanese and Chinese draw all 9 strokes in the same order and direction, by our stroke-by-stroke comparison.

Japanese · KanjiVG · 9 strokes

Chinese · Make Me a Hanzi · 9 strokes

Trace it

Follow the numbers. Tracing help

Pinyin and meaning

Pinyin	Meanings	Traditional	In words
yào fourth tone	to want; to need; to ask for; will; shall; about to; need to; should; if (same as 要是 (yàoshi)); (bound form) important	—	不要快要只要主要
yāo first tone	(bound form) to demand; to coerce	—	要求

HSK 2025 syllabus: level 1
2021 standard: level 1
HSK 2.0: in a level 2 word
Words with it: 133 in CC-CEDICT

Words with 要

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
要	yào	to want; to need HSK 1
不要	búyào	don't!; must not HSK 1
快要	kuàiyào	nearly at the point of (doing sth); about to (do sth) HSK 2
只要	zhǐyào	so long as; provided HSK 3
主要	zhǔyào	main; principal HSK 3
要求	yāoqiú	to request; to require HSK 3
重要	zhòngyào	important; significant HSK 3
需要	xūyào	to need; to want HSK 3
要是	yàoshi	if HSK 4
将要將要	jiāngyào	will; shall HSK 4

HSK words first (CC-CEDICT).

Practice sheet

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Keep going

HSK 1, in list order: