other N5 common casualpolitewritten
要る — to need
要る ・ いる
Meaning
- to need / to be necessary / to require — the thing needed is the subject
Key sentence
海外に行くにはパスポートが要る。
You need a passport to go abroad.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun が + 要る | N が要る | お金が要る (money is needed) |
Examples
この料理には砂糖が要る。
This dish needs sugar.
返事は要りません。
No reply is needed.
引っ越しに何が要るか、リストにした。
I made a list of what we'd need for the move.
When you can't use it
- 要る is a u-verb despite ending in -る: the negative is 要らない (not 要ない) and the polite form is 要ります. Treating it as a ru-verb (要ない) is a common mistake.
- What you need is marked with が, not を — like 好きだ and できる, 要る takes its target with が (お金が要る, never お金を要る).
Easily confused with
See 要る in real sentences
Jengo shows 要る the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar.