要yàoto want; to need; to ask for

1. 1.

   to want; to need; to ask forverb

2. 2.

   need to; shouldverb

• 要to want; to need; to ask for

要 before a noun is for wanting a thing; before a verb it is "want to" or sometimes "need to," depending on context.

1. HSK 1

   我要茶。

   Wǒ yào chá.

   I want tea.

2. HSK 2

   你要咖啡还是茶？

   Nǐ yào kāfēi háishi chá?

   Do you want coffee or tea?

3. HSK 1

   他要学中文。

   Tā yào xué Zhōngwén.

   He wants to study Chinese.

4. HSK 1

   我们明天要上班。

   Wǒmen míngtiān yào shàngbān.

   We need to go to work tomorrow.

Before a noun, 要 means "want (this thing)," while 想 means "to miss." Before a verb both can mean "want to," but 要 often sounds more firm about acting; 想 is closer to "would like to."

1. 
   Speaker A:

   你要什么？

   Nǐ yào shénme?

   What do you want?

2. 
   Speaker B:

   我要水。

   Wǒ yào shuǐ.

   I want water.

3. 
   Speaker A:

   你要喝茶还是咖啡？

   Nǐ yào hē chá háishi kāfēi?

   Do you want to drink tea or coffee?

4. 
   Speaker B:

   我要喝茶。

   Wǒ yào hē chá.

   I want to drink tea.

5. 
   Speaker A:

   明天你要上班吗？

   Míngtiān nǐ yào shàngbān ma?

   Do you need to work tomorrow?

6. 
   Speaker B:

   要，我明天要上班。

   Yào, wǒ míngtiān yào shàngbān.

   Yes, I need to work tomorrow.

1. 1.Fill in the blank: 我___茶。

   A是B要C的
2. 2.Fill in the blank: 他___学中文。

   A要B是C在
3. 3.Before a noun, which word means "want (this)" rather than "miss"?

   A想B要C会

• Free HSK 3 level testSee which HSK 3.0 level your vocabulary matches.
• HSK 1 word listEvery word at this level, with examples.
• HSK 3.0 guideHow the nine levels and three bands work.

Related words

• 还是hái shior (in questions; offering a choice)HSK 2
• 不bùno; not so; (bound form) not; un-HSK 1
• 的deof; 's (possessive particle)HSK 1
• 不要bú yàodon't!; must notHSK 1
• 要求yāo qiúto requestHSK 3
• 需要xū yàoto need; to want; to demand; to requireHSK 3

Browse every entry in the Chinese word dictionary.