Onyomi: ヨウ · Kunyomi: い.る, かなめ · Meanings: essence, key to, main point, need, pivot
Kanji for essence, key to, main point, need, pivot
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要 is formed from the female radical 女 on the bottom, and a component resembling a frame or structure on top. Together, they express the idea of something essential or central that holds importance. From this idea, 要 came to mean need, main point, or essential.
要 shows something essential or important, meaning need or main point.
要 is used when referring to something necessary or central. It represents what is most important or required. Remember 要 as meaning “need” or “essential.”
| Word | Reading | Meaning | Meta |
|---|---|---|---|
| 要 | かなめ | pivot | common Noun |
| 要 | よう | main point, essential point, important thing | Noun |
| 要る | いる | to be needed, to be necessary, to be required, to be wanted, to need, to want | common JLPT-N5 Godan verb with 'ru' ending, Intransitive verb |
| 要求 | ようきゅう | demand, firm request, requisition, requirement, desire | common JLPT-N3 Noun, Suru verb, Transitive verb |
| 要素 | ようそ | component, factor, item (e.g. in list) | common JLPT-N3 Noun |
| 要するに | ようするに | in short, in a word, to sum up, to put it simply, to make a long story short, after all | common JLPT-N3 Expressions (phrases, clauses, etc.), Adverb (fukushi) |
| 用心 | ようじん | care, precaution, guarding, caution | common JLPT-N3 Noun, Suru verb, Transitive verb, Intransitive verb |
| 要点 | ようてん | gist, main point | common JLPT-N3 Noun |
| 要領 | ようりょう | point, gist, essentials, tenets, outline | common JLPT-N2 Noun |
| 要旨 | ようし | (main) point, gist, key points, essentials, substance, summary, outline, abstract | common JLPT-N2 Noun |