Comparing "yao" and "xiang"

Both 要 (yào) and 想 (xiǎng) can mean "want," but they're used in slightly different ways, such as 想 (xiǎng) meaning "to miss" when followed by a noun, and 要 (yào) also meaning "going to (do something).

Followed by a Noun

Both 要 (yào) and 想 (xiǎng) may be followed by nouns, but their meanings are different, because the meaning of 想 (xiǎng) changes when used this way.

要 as "to want"

Structure

This structure is most often used to buy something, or to order food as a restaurant. It's also to imagine a demanding child using this pattern to get stuff from his parents. This pattern can be rude, but it's not as inherently rude as it may seem when translated directly into English.

Subj. + 要 + Noun

Examples

• 你 也 要 茶 吗？ (ordering in a restaurant)Nǐ yě yào chá ma? Do you also want tea?
• 我们 都 要 咖啡。 (ordering in a cafe)Wǒmen dōu yào kāfēi. We all want coffee.
• 大家 要 不要 米饭？ (ordering in a restaurant)Dàjiā yào bù yào mǐfàn? Does everyone want rice or not?
• 你们 要 冰水 还是 热水？ (ordering in a restaurant)Nǐmen yàobīngshuǐ háishì rèshuǐ? Do you want icy water or hot water?
• 谢谢， 我 什么 都 不 要。 (ordering in a restaurant)Xièxiè, wǒ shénmen dōu bù yào. Thank you.I don't need anything.

想 as "to miss"

Pay attention here: unlike "想 + Verb," the meaning of 想 in the "想 + Noun" pattern becomes "to miss."

Structure

Subj. + 想 + Noun

Examples

• 我想 你。Wǒ xiǎng nǐ. I miss you.
• 我 有点 想 我 的 家人。Wǒ yǒudiǎn xiǎng wǒ de jiārén.I sort of miss my family.
• 你们 回 美国 以后， 会 想 中国菜 吗？Nǐmen huí Měiguó yǐhòu huì xiǎng Zhōngguó cài ma?Will you miss Chinese food after you go back to America?
• 你女朋友 不 在 的时候， 你 会 想 她 吗？Nǐ nǚpéngyou bù zài deshíhòu, nǐ huì xiǎng tā ma?Do you miss your girlfriend when she is not here?
• 妈妈 昨天 打 电话 的时候 跟 我 说， 她 很想 我。Māma dǎ diànhuà deshíhòu gēn wǒ shuō, tā hěn xiǎng wǒ.Mom called me and said she misses me a lot.

Followed by a Verb

Both 要 (yào) and 想 (xiǎng) may be followed by verbs with similar meanings. The difference between the two is rather subtle, but 要 (yào) can sound more urgent or demanding (sometimes even childish), while 想 (xiǎng) is usually a bit more mature and polite. Tone of voice plays a big role here as well, though, so don't be afraid of offending people by using 要 (yào); the word itself isn't rude.

要 as "want to"

Structure

It might help to think of 要 (yào) in this sense as meaning "want to" and 想 (xiǎng) as meaning "would like to."

Subj. + 要 + Verb

Examples

• 我 要 休息。Wǒ yào xiūxi. I want to rest.
• 你 也 要 回家 吗？Nǐ yě yàohuíjiā ma?Do you also want to go home?
• 你们 要 喝 什么？Nǐmen yào hē shénme?What do you want to drink?
• 老板 要 我 帮 他 做 完 这 些 工作。 Lǎobǎn yào wǒ bāng tā zuò wán zhè xiē gōngzuò.The boss wants me to help me to finish these work.
• 大家 晚上 要 不 要 出去 吃？Dàjiā wǎnshang yào bù yào chūqù chī? Does everyone want to go out to eat tonight?

想 as "would like to"

Structure

It might help to think of 想 (xiǎng) as meaning "would like to" instead of "want to."

Subj. + 想 + Verb

Examples

• 我想 去。 I'd like to go.
• 我想 见 她 。 I'd like to see her.
• 我想 喝 果汁。 I'd like to drink juice.
• 我想 买 水果。 I'd like to buy fruit.
• 我想 吃 三明治。 I'd like to eat a sandwich.

要 as "going to"

要 is used to indicate plans for the near future, much like "going to" in English. 想 (xiǎng) is not used in this way.

Structure

Subj. + 要 + Verb

Examples

• 星期六 我 要 去 北京。 I'm going to Beijing on Saturday.
• 今年 我 要 学 中文。 This year I'm going to learn Chinese.
• 下班 以后 ， 我们 要 去 KTV。 After getting off work, we're going to go to karaoke.

想要 as "want"

You can put 要 (yào) and 想 (xiǎng) together to make the word 想要 (xiǎngyào), which means "to want." You can put either nouns or verbs after it.

Subj. + 想要 + Verb

• 我想要 吃 三明治。 I want to eat a sandwich.
• 我想要 喝 果汁。 I want to drink juice.
• 我想要 买 水果。 I want to buy fruit.

Dialog

These conversations use 想 and 要 in various ways described in this article.

• A: 你 要 什么？ What do you want?
• B: 我 要 一 杯 红茶。 我 还 想要 一杯 牛奶。I want a cup of black tea. I also want a glass of milk.

• A: 你 想 家 吗？ Are you homesick?
• B: 我 想 家。我 很 想 我 爸妈。 Yeah, I'm homesick. I really miss my parents.

• A: 你 想 回去 吗？ Would you like to go back?
• B: 我 想 回去。下 个 月 我 要 回家。 Yeah, I would. I'm going back next month.

See also

• Wanting to do something with yao
• "Would like to" with xiang
• Auxiliary verb "yao" and its multiple meanings
• Negative commands with "bu yao"
• Expressing determination with "feiyao"

Sources and further reading

Books

• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (pp. 154-5) →buy