Chinese symbol for “need”
需要
xū yào
to need; to want; to demand; to require; needs
The closest CC-CEDICT match for need is 需要 (xū yào), defined as: to need; to want; to demand; to require; needs.
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Characters and stroke order
Other Chinese words for “need”
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 要 | yào | to want; to need; to ask for; will; shall; about to |
| 必需 | bì xū | to need; to require |
| 用 | yòng | to use; to make use of; to employ; (coverb) with; using |
| 需 | xū | to require; to need |
| 待 | dài | to wait; to treat |
Related words
Other words that share a character with 需要.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 需求 | xū qiú | requirement; to require |
| 无需 (無需) | wú xū | needless |
| 必需 | bì xū | to need; to require |
| 急需 | jí xū | to urgently need; urgent need |
| 必需品 | bì xū pǐn | necessity; essential (thing) |
| 主要 | zhǔ yào | main; principal; major; primary |
| 重要 | zhòng yào | important; significant; major |
| 要求 | yāo qiú | to request; to require |
See also: Japanese symbol for “need”.
Data: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0); Unihan Database (Unicode License v3); Make Me a Hanzi (Arphic Public License (graphics.txt); LGPL-3.0-or-later (dictionary.txt)); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.