要求
Meaning in Englishrequest, demand
Animated kanji stroke order
Word context
What it means
What does 要求 mean? It denotes a demand or a strong request made with expectation of fulfillment, often in formal, contractual, or authoritative contexts. It covers situations where one party asserts a need or obligation that others are expected to meet, rather than a casual plea.
Main meanings
- 1) Formal demand in official or contractual contexts
- 2) Common word for a requirement or prerequisite in a specification or system
- 3) A stronger, insistent request implying obligation or expectation
How to use it
Used as a noun to express a demand, a requirement, or a formal request; in business, law, or administration it appears in official documents with a sense of obligation; the verb form 要求する to mean to demand or to require; in everyday language softer options include 要望 or 願う for milder requests
Variants and close terms
- 要望 (youbou) — softer request or appeal
- 要請 (yosei) — formal request or appeal
- 請求 (seikyuu) — billing demand or claim
Composition
- 要 — 'need, essential' contributes the sense of necessity
- 求 — 'to seek, request' contributes the sense of asking
- Together they form 要求, denoting a demand or request
Etymology
要 meaning need or essential, 求 meaning to seek or request; the pronunciation ようきゅう (youkyuu) arises from the typical Sino-Japanese readings of the two kanji, forming a compound that encapsulates necessity and solicitation
Word class
noun (名詞); can also form the verb 要求する to mean to demand or to require