要る

What it means

要る (iru) means to be needed or to require something. It expresses that an item, resource, or condition is necessary for a purpose or action and is commonly used in everyday speech to state needs or requests.

Main meanings

• 1) Indicating a concrete requirement: a particular object or resource is necessary for something to proceed.
• 2) Expressing necessity for a situation or action in general, including non-tangible needs.
• 3) Casual negative form conveys absence of necessity (colloquial 'not needed').
• 4) Appears in polite and plain conjugations, and is used in questions and requests about necessity.

How to use it

Used in both spoken and written Japanese to state that something is required; tends to be more direct and common in everyday conversation while other words for necessity are used in formal registers. Grammatically the thing needed is typically presented as the topic or subject, and speakers choose plain (要る (iru)/要らない (iranai)) or polite (要ります (irimasu)) forms depending on politeness; it's often used when asking for or listing items, costs, or conditions.