想 xiǎng — to think; to believe; to suppose; to wish; to want; to miss
我想喝一杯热牛奶。Wǒ xiǎng hē yì bēi rè niú nǎi.I want to drink a cup of hot milk.
Common words: 想到 (xiǎng dào)、想法 (xiǎng fǎ)、想起 (xiǎng qǐ)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to want"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to want", including 想 (xiǎng), 需 (xū). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to want" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 想 (xiǎng), 需 (xū) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span xiǎng, xū — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 想 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 想 xiǎngto think; to believe; to suppose; to wish; to want; to missUseful words: 想到, 想法
- 需 xūto require; to need; to want; necessity; needUseful words: 需要, 需求
Common words for these 2 "to want" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 想 (xiǎng) — so "to want" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
想到xiǎng dàoto think of; to call to mind; to anticipate想法xiǎng fǎway of thinking; opinion; notion; to think of a way (to do sth)想起xiǎng qǐto recall; to think of; to call to mind需要xū yàoto need; to want; to demand; to require需求xū qiúrequirement; to require; (economics) demand必需bì xūto need; to require; essential; indispensable
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 want".
需 xū — to require; to need; to want; necessity; need
完成这项工作需要很多时间。Wán chéng zhè xiàng gōng zuò xū yào hěn duō shí jiān.Completing this work requires a lot of time.
Common words: 需要 (xū yào)、需求 (xū qiú)、必需 (bì xū)
All 2 characters
Open 想、需 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.