需要

需要 (xūyào) means 'to need' — to require something objectively in order to do or have something else. It works both as a verb ('I need a pen') and a noun ('the customer's needs'). Two things English speakers often miss.

First, 需要 is more neutral and slightly more formal than 要 (yào); 要 covers both 'want' and 'need' and is the everyday spoken default, while 需要 emphasises real necessity and is the right word in writing, customer service, and polite contexts. Second, 需要 + verb-phrase is common ('需要等一下' — 'need to wait a moment'); in this pattern it functions like English 'need to' / 'have to'. In questions you can negate with 不需要 ('don't need') or 不用 (bù yòng, 'no need to') — the latter is more colloquial.