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Kanji Detail for 要 - "need, essential"

要

  • Meaning

    要 means "need, essential." Also associated with summarize.

    1. Need - To require; to want.

    2. Essential - Important; vital.

    3. Summarize - To condense; to conclude.

  • Words using 要

    • 必要 ひつよう Listen necessary; needed; essential
    • 要求 ようきゅう Listen demand; firm request; requisition
    • 重要 じゅうよう Listen important; essential; significant
    • 主要 しゅよう Listen chief; main; principal
    • 要請 ようせい Listen appeal; call for something; request
    • 需要 じゅよう Listen demand; need; demand
    • 要因 よういん Listen main cause; primary factor
    • 必要性 ひつようせい Listen necessity; need

  • Four-character idioms with 要

    • 不得要領 ふとくようりょう Listen vague; ambiguous; noncommittal
    • 要害堅固 ようがいけんご Listen (a fortress being) impregnable; unassailable

  • Tattoo check: 要

    • Verified meaning: need, essential
    • Official Jōyō kanji — a standard character every Japanese reader recognises
    • Used in real Japanese given names (read かなめ, もとむ, よう, ようきち)
    • Also carries these associations: summarize

    A single kanji rarely maps one-to-one onto an English word. Read the meanings and associations above as a set — a character that fits the dictionary definition can still carry a connotation you did not intend.

  • Name readings of 要

    Given names 要(かなめ)Listen 要(もとむ)Listen 要(よう)Listen 要(ようきち)Listen

    Surnames 要(よし)Listen

  • Dictionary Citations

    The meaning above is based on the following sources:

    KANJIDIC2 A comprehensive Japanese-English kanji dictionary

    need; main point; essence; pivot; key to

    Unihan Unicode Han Database for CJK characters

    necessary, essential; necessity

    CC-CEDICT A Chinese-English dictionary

    (bound form) to demand; to coerce

    Make Me a Hanzi Open-source Chinese character data

    essential, necessary; to ask for; to coerce; to demand

    XSZD Xuéshēng Zìdiǎn (學生字典) - Student's Dictionary

    To request. Mencius says "Cultivate heavenly honors to seek human honors." Commonly also means requesting things is called 要. | A promise or covenant. The Analects says "Long-standing promises are not forgotten." | Same as 腰 (waist). Anciently the character for waist was written as 要. | Getting to the core of matters is called 要. Such as 要義 (essential meaning), 要害 (vital point), 提要 (summary), 綱要 (outline). | An auxiliary word. The meaning of summarizing.

  • Onyomi

    tip

    yoh(ヨウ) ヨウ

  • Kunyomi

    tip

    i.ru(い-る) い-る

    kaname(かなめ) かなめ

  • Strokes

    tip

    9 strokes

  • Radical

    tip

    襾 西 覀 (oikammuri・nishi・kanamenokashira)

  • Related Keywords

    need essential summarize ambush wait bind vow certainly definitely govern organize necessary important request desire threaten waist central critical crucial fundamental imperative indispensable key mandatory pivotal primary principal require requisite significant vital want

Sentences including 要

  • You need not answer the letter.

  • You don't have to work on sundays.

  • He needs to answer the question.

  • You don't have to pay attention to what he says.

  • The company was in want of money.

  • You don't have to hurry.

  • I must put my ideas together before i take up a pen.

  • There's no need to speak so loud.

  • We hardly realize how important it is.

  • My bicycle needs fixing.

Sentences from Japanese classical masterpieces

More kanji with the radical 襾 西 覀 (oikammuri・nishi・kanamenokashira)

See all kanji with this radical →

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