要る・いる (need)

Japanese Grammar Basic Japanese ★★★★ 4/5 neutral いるiru
読み いる
ローマ字 iru
形 (Person + に +) Needed thing + が + 要る
漢字の分解 要 (yō/i) = essential, need

意味

Expresses that someone or something needs or requires something. The subject (what is needed) is marked with が, and the person who needs it is marked with に. It is a godan verb conjugated like other る-ending godan verbs.

Unlike 必要だ (which is a na-adjective meaning 'necessary'), 要る is a verb that describes needing something in a more colloquial and direct way. It is commonly used in everyday speech, particularly in questions like いる？ to ask 'Do you need this?' The negative form いらない is extremely common and is used to decline offers or indicate something is unnecessary. Note that 要る should not be confused with 居る (to exist for animate things), which shares the same reading. The kanji 要 helps distinguish the two in writing, though in casual text both are often written in hiragana.

例文

  1. 新しいパソコンが要る。
  2. 明日の会議には資料が要ります。
  3. この仕事にはもっと時間が要る。

使い方ガイド

場面: spoken, written, everyday

トーン: practical

正しい言い方

  • もう少しお金が要る。
  • この書類にはハンコが要ります。
  • 何か要るものはありますか。

避ける言い方

  • 新しい靴を要る。(Using を instead of が — the needed item takes が, not を) → 新しい靴が要る。
  • パスポートは要るだ。(Adding だ after a verb — 要る is already a verb and does not take だ) → パスポートは要る。
  • お水が要りたい。(Using たい form — 要る itself already expresses wanting/needing; use 欲しい instead) → お水が欲しい。

起源と歴史

要る derives from the kanji 要 meaning 'essential' or 'necessity.' It has been used as a verb expressing need since the classical Japanese period.

文化的背景

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal

関連フレーズ

ある (existence of inanimate things) Indicates that an inanimate object exists or is located somewhere. It is the counterpart of いる, which is used for animate beings. ある is one of the most fundamental verbs in Japanese and is essential for describing the presence or location of things. いる (existence of animate things) Indicates that an animate being — a person, animal, or other living creature — exists or is located somewhere. It is the animate counterpart of ある and is one of the first verbs learners must master for describing who or what is present. いる (progressive / ongoing state) Used after the て-form of a verb to indicate that an action is currently in progress or that a state resulting from a past action continues. This is the most common way to express the English present progressive ('is doing') in Japanese. する (causing a state or action) The verb する is used to indicate that someone or something causes a state or action to take place. It is the most basic and widely used verb in Japanese, functioning as 'to do' and forming the basis of hundreds of compound verbs with nouns. 分かる・わかる (understand) Expresses that something becomes clear, understandable, or known to someone spontaneously. The thing understood is marked with が, and the person who understands is marked with に or は. It describes a natural, involuntary process of comprehension. 好きだ・すきだ (like) A na-adjective that expresses liking or fondness for something or someone. The liked object is marked with が, and the person who likes is marked with は. It functions as an adjective describing a state of preference, not a verb. 知る・しる (come to know) Describes acquiring information or knowledge from an external source. The basic form 知る indicates the moment of learning something new, while the te-form 知っている expresses the resulting state of knowing. ある (resultant state) Used after the て-form of a transitive verb to indicate that something has been done and the resulting state remains. This pattern emphasises the current condition that resulted from a completed action, rather than the action itself.
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