求 qiú — to seek; to look for; to request; to demand; to beseech
遇到困难时可以向老师求助。Yù dào kùn nan shí kě yǐ xiàng lǎo shī qiú zhù.When you meet difficulties, you can ask the teacher for help.
Common words: 要求 (yāo qiú)、请求 (qǐng qiú)、需求 (xū qiú)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to request"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to request", including 求 (qiú), 请 (qǐng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to request" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 求 (qiú), 请 (qǐng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span qiú, qǐng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 求 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 求 qiúto seek; to look for; to request; to demand; to beseechUseful words: 要求, 请求
- 请 qǐngto ask; to invite; please (do sth); to treat (to a meal; etc); to requestUseful words: 请问, 请假
Common words for these 2 "to request" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 求 (qiú) — so "to request" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "to request".
请 qǐng — to ask; to invite; please (do sth); to treat (to a meal; etc); to request
我想请你吃晚饭。Wǒ xiǎng qǐng nǐ chī wǎn fàn.I would like to invite you to dinner.
Common words: 请问 (qǐng wèn)、请假 (qǐng jià)、请进 (qǐng jìn)
All 2 characters
Open 求、请 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.