What is the Kanji for "Important" and "Need"?

If you are wondering what is the Japanese Kanji for "Important" and "Need", you've come to the right place!

The Japanese Kanji for "Important" and "Need" is "要".

This kanji has 3 readings:

Its kunyomi readings are "I" and "Kaname".

Its onyomi reading is "You".

kunyomi readings are based on the pronunciation of native Japanese words, and onyomi readings are based on the Chinese pronunciation of the character.

If you visually breakdown this kanji, you can see is made up of 2 parts:

The component "覀" . And The kanji "女" means "Woman" and can be read as "Jo", "Nyo", "Onna", and "Me".

Now, let's make sure you understand this kanji the other way around too.

What does the kanji "要" mean in japanese?

"要" means "Important" and "Need".

Japanese School Students learn this kanji in Fourth Grade, while foreigners may learn this kanji in preparation for the JLPT N3 exam.

Here are some words that use this kanji:

重要: "Important". The adjectival noun '重要 (じゅうよう)' means 'important'. It is used to describe something that is of great significance, consequence, or consequence. This word can be used to describe both concrete and abstract things. For example: This issue is very important - (この問題は非常に重要です). The important decision - (重要な決断).

必要: "Necessity". The adjectival noun '必要 (ひつよう)' means 'necessity'. It refers to something that is absolutely required, essential or indispensable. It is often used to describe things, situations or actions that are crucial or extremely important. For example: This is a necessity - (これは必要です). The necessities of life - (生活の必要なもの)

要求: "Demand". The verbal noun '要求 (ようきゅう)' means 'demand'. This term refers to a strong request or insistence that someone do something. It can be used in both formal and informal contexts, and often implies a sense of entitlement or expectation on the part of the person making the demand. For example: She made a demand for more pay - (彼女はより高い給与を要求した). The students made a demand to the principal - (生徒たちは校長に要求をした).

要する: "Need" or "Require". The Japanese verb '要する (ようする)' means 'to need' or 'to require'. It is used to express the necessity or requirement of something. For example: I need to study for the exam - (試験のために勉強が要する). The company requires experienced employees - (会社は経験のある従業員を要する).

要素: "Element". The Japanese noun '要素 (ようそ)' means 'element'. This word is used to refer to a fundamental part or component that makes up a whole. It can be used in a variety of contexts, such as in science to describe the basic building blocks of matter, or in a more general sense to talk about the essential parts or factors that contribute to something. For example: The elements of a successful team - (成功チームの要素は). This chemical element is essential for life - (この化学要素は生命に不可欠だ).

要る: "Need" or "Require". The verb '要る (いる)' means 'to need' or 'to require'. It is used to express that something is necessary or essential. It can be used to describe both physical and non-physical needs. For example: I need that book - (その本が要る). This job requires patience - (この仕事は我慢が要る).

要因: "Factor". The Japanese noun '要因 (よういん)' means 'factor'. This word is used to refer to an element, circumstance, or influence that contributes to a particular result or situation. It is often used in the context of analyzing or discussing the causes or reasons behind a certain event, outcome, or phenomenon. For example: The main factors contributing to the company's success were innovation and strong management - (同社の成功要因は革新性と強力な経営でした)。The key factors in the decision-making process were cost, timeline, and feasibility - (意思決定プロセスの重要な要因はコスト、タイムラインおよび実現可能性でした)。

需要: "Demand". The Japanese noun '需要 (じゅよう)' refers to the desire or willingness to purchase a product or service. It represents the quantity of a good or service that consumers are willing to buy at various prices during a given time period. '需要' is an important concept in economics and is influenced by factors such as income, prices, and consumer preferences. For example: The demand for smartphones is high - (スマートフォンの需要が高い). There is strong demand for the new product - (その新製品には強い需要がある).

要件: "Requirement". The Japanese noun '要件 (ようけん)' means 'requirement'. It refers to a necessary condition or specification that must be fulfilled in order to accomplish a particular task or achieve a certain goal. It can be used in various contexts, such as in business, law, or project management. For example: The contract has strict requirements - (この契約には厳しい要件がある). The new policy has several key requirements - (新しい政策には重要な要件がいくつかある).

主要: "Main". The adjectival noun '主要 (しゅよう)' means 'main'. It is used to describe something that is the most important, central or fundamental part of something. It can be used to refer to the primary or principal element, aspect or component of a person, thing or situation. For example: The main reason - (主要な理由). The main building - (主要な建物).

要: "Need" or "Requirement". The Japanese noun '要 (よう)' means 'need' or 'requirement'. It is used to express something that is necessary or essential. For example: I have a need to study - (勉強する要があります). The requirements for the job are... - (その仕事の要件は...)

不要: "Unnecessary". The adjectival noun '不要 (ふよう)' means 'unnecessary'. This word is used to describe something that is not needed or required. It can refer to objects, actions, or ideas that serve no purpose. For example: That item is unnecessary - (あれは不要だ). I don't need those books, they are unnecessary - (あの本は不要です)

要領: "Knack". The Japanese noun '要領 (ようりょう)' means 'knack'. It refers to a person's natural ability or skill to do something efficiently and effectively. It suggests a certain innate talent or flair that allows someone to accomplish tasks or grasp concepts with relative ease. For example: She has a real knack for learning languages - (彼女は言語を学ぶ要領がよい). He has a knack for fixing computers - (彼はコンピューターを直す要領がよい).

要するに: "In short" or "In essence". The adverb '要するに (ようするに)' means 'in short' or 'in essence'. It is used to summarize or concisely express the main point or essence of a previous statement. It can be used to provide a succinct conclusion or to emphasize the key takeaway. For example: In short, we need to make a decision soon - (要するに、もうすぐ決断する必要がある). In essence, the problem is lack of funding - (要するに、問題は資金不足だ).

不必要: "Unnecessary". The Japanese adjectival noun '不必要 (ふひつよう)' means 'unnecessary'. It is used to describe something that is not required or needed for a particular purpose. This word emphasizes that the item or action in question is superfluous and could be omitted without any significant impact. For example: This item is unnecessary - (この物は不必要です). She bought an unnecessary amount of food - (彼女は不必要な量の食べ物を買った).

要点: "Main point". The noun '要点 (ようてん)' refers to the main or central idea of something. It is used to indicate the most important or significant parts of a topic, issue, or argument. For example: The main point of the article was... - (その記事の要点は...). Please summarize the key points - (要点をまとめてください).

要請: "Request". The verbal noun '要請 (ようせい)' means 'request'. It is used to express the act of asking or pleading for someone to do something. This word carries a sense of urgency or importance, and is often used in formal or official contexts. For example: The company made a request for more funding - (その企業は追加の資金を要請した). The government issued a request for volunteers - (政府は義援金の要請を行った).

要項: "Outline". The Japanese noun '要項 (ようこう)' means 'outline'. It refers to a concise summary or overview of the key points or essential details of something, such as a plan, proposal, or set of instructions. For example: The outline of the presentation - (発表の要項) summarizes the main topics that will be covered.

概要: "Overview". The Japanese noun '概要 (がいよう)' means 'overview'. It refers to a brief summary or general outline of a topic, situation, or plan. It provides the main points or key information without going into excessive detail. For example: The presentation gave a good overview of the company's plans - (プレゼンテーションではその会社の計画の概要がよくわかった). The manager gave an overview of the project - (マネージャーはプロジェクトの概要を説明した).

要望: "Request" or "Demand". The verbal noun '要望 (ようぼう)' refers to a request or demand made by someone. It implies a strong desire or need for something. This word is often used when people express their wishes or needs to others, such as to a company or government. For example: We have some requests for the company - (我々はその会社に対して要望がある). She made a demand for a raise - (彼女は昇給の要望をした).

To make really sure you learn this Kanji, I've prepared an interactive lesson for you. You are going to learn the readings and meanings of this kanji.

But first, you need to know a little bit about Hiragana and Katakana.

Hiragana and katakana are japanese syllabaries, this means that each character represents a syllable.

This are the characters you need to know for this lesson:

The hiragana "い" is read as "i". The hiragana "よ" is read as "yo". The hiragana "う" is read as "u". The hiragana "か" is read as "ka". The hiragana "な" is read as "na". And The hiragana "め" is read as "me".

Heres a quick tutorial on how to use it. You'll be asked three type of questions: meaning, reading, and writing.

For meanings questions all you have to do is type the english meaning. If there is more than one meaning, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Reading questions you have to type the reading in romaji (roman letters, our normal alphabet) and it'll be automatically converted to hiragana if necessary. If there is more than one reading, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Writing questions some options will appear and all you have to do is select the correct ones.