只要

只要 zhǐyào

If only (as long as)

HSK 4 zhiyao

What 只要 means

  1. If only (as long as)

These meanings come from the same dictionary that powers the Chinese to Pinyin translator and the Chinese to English translator, so a whole sentence containing 只要 will read it the same way this page does.

Character by character

只要 is written with 2 characters. Chinese words are usually easier to remember once you can see what each part contributes.

zhī
Only (merely - but - mw for a pair)
yāo
Want (need - request - must - demand)

How to write 只要

Stroke order is not decoration — it is what makes handwriting legible and what dictionary lookup by stroke count depends on.

Practise 只要 on printable 田字格 sheets, trace it in the writing practice tool, or watch any other character in the Stroke Order Animator.

Questions about 只要

What does 只要 mean in English?

只要 is pronounced zhǐyào and means If only (as long as).

How do you pronounce 只要?

只要 is zhǐyào in pinyin — written zhiyao without tone marks. Press the audio button on this page to hear it spoken by a native voice.

What are the characters in 只要?

只要 is written with 2 characters: 只 (zhī) Only (merely - but - mw for a pair), 要 (yāo) Want (need - request - must - demand). Knowing the parts is usually how the whole word becomes memorable.

Is 只要 an HSK word?

Yes — 只要 is on the official HSK 4 vocabulary list. You can study it with the rest of that list on the HSK 4 page.

Studied around the same time

Keep going

Translate a whole sentence containing 只要 with the Chinese to Pinyin translator, study it alongside the rest of HSK 4, drill it with HSK flashcards, or save it above and review it on your review deck.

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