# 要 — need; main point

要 means “need; main point”. It is a JLPT N3 kanji written with 9 strokes. On'yomi: ヨウ (you). Kun'yomi: い(る) (iru), かなめ (kaname). You'll see it in words such as 要する (yousuru, “to need; to demand”).

- Meaning: need; main point
- On'yomi: ヨウ (you)
- Kun'yomi: い(る) (iru), かなめ (kaname)
- Strokes: 9
- Level: JLPT N3 · set Qualities 1

## How to remember 要

A woman (女) with a cover (覀) tied at her waist, the vital middle: what you need.

Parts: 覀 cover · 女 woman

## Words with 要

| Word | Reading | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 要する | ようする (yousuru) | to need; to demand |
| 要するに | ようするに (yousuruni) | in short; in a word |
| 要 | かなめ (kaname) | key point; pivot |

## More in the “Qualities 1” set

[実](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/reality/) · [現](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/present/) · [当](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/hit-the-mark/) · [性](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/nature/) · [要](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/need/) · [和](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/harmony/) · [平](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/flat/) · [確](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/certain/) · [勢](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/momentum/)

---

From Moji Ninja (https://moji.ninja/), a free app for learning hiragana, katakana and the JLPT kanji from N5 to N1 with spaced repetition. Page: https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/need/. Last updated 2026-11-01.