要

need

JLPT N3 Grade 4 9 strokes

Kun'yomi: い.る・かなめ
On'yomi: ヨウ

要 means "need". It is a JLPT N3 kanji written in 9 strokes. It is read い.る・かなめ in native Japanese words (kun'yomi) and ヨウ in compounds (on'yomi). Japanese schoolchildren learn it in grade 4.

要 in example sentences

君きみが必要ひつようだ。

Kimi ga hitsuyou da.

I need you.
両方りょうほう要いるよ。

Ryouhou iru yo.

We need both.
車くるまが要いるの？

Kuruma ga iru no?

Do you want a car?

Example sentences from the Tatoeba Project, licensed CC-BY 2.0 FR.

Stroke order & writing

Want more? Practice writing from memory. Stroke-order and animation sources are on our credits page.

Words that use 要

Common questions

What does the kanji 要 mean?: 要 means "need". It is a JLPT N3 kanji.
How many strokes does 要 have?: 要 is written in 9 strokes.
How is 要 read?: It is read い.る・かなめ in native Japanese words (kun'yomi) and ヨウ in compounds (on'yomi).
What JLPT level is 要?: 要 is a JLPT N3 kanji.

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