Chinese symbol for “want”
要
yào
to want; to need; to ask for; will; shall; about to; need to; should; if (same as 要是 (yào shi))
The closest CC-CEDICT match for want is 要 (yào), defined as: to want; to need; to ask for; will; shall; about to; need to; should; if (same as 要是 (yào shi)); (bound form) important.
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 “want”
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 需要 | xū yào | to need; to want; to demand; to require; needs |
| 愿意 (願意) | yuàn yì | to wish; to want |
| 需 | xū | to require; to need |
| 想 | xiǎng | to think (about); to think of; to devise |
| 忺 | xiān | (literary) to want; to desire; (literary) pleased; gratified; happy |
Related words
Other words that share a character with 要.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 需要 | xū yào | to need; to want; to demand; to require; needs |
| 主要 | zhǔ yào | main; principal; major; primary |
| 重要 | zhòng yào | important; significant; major |
| 要求 | yāo qiú | to request; to require |
| 不要 | bù yào | don't!; must not |
| 只要 | zhǐ yào | so long as; provided; if |
See also: Japanese symbol for “want”.
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.