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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.

Stroke order & writing

Stroke-order and animation sources are on our credits page.

要 in example sentences

  • Kimi ga hitsuyou da.

    I need you.

  • Ryouhou iru yo.

    We need both.

  • くるまるの?

    Kuruma ga iru no?

    Do you need a car?

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

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.