要 (yào) is one of the most common words in Chinese, and it has a versatile range of uses. In this article, we'll cover five common uses of 要 in Chinese grammar: “want”, “need”, “should”, for commands and for future tense.

要 meaning “want”

The dictionary definitions for 要 always include “want” in English. 要 is the most direct and simple way of expressing a desire in Chinese. For example:

我要那个玩具。

Wǒ yào nàge wánjù.

I want that toy.

我要吃糖果。

Wǒ yào chī tángguǒ.

I want to eat sweets.

谁要去游泳？

Shéi yào qù yóuyǒng?

Who wants to go swimming?

Notice how in the first sentence, 要 is the main verb, whereas in the last two sentences, 要 is an auxiliary verb.

As in English, expressing “want” in this way can be quite direct and abrupt, so be careful with it. See also: the difference between 想, 要 and 想要