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How to Say ‘I want to.’ in Traditional Chinese

我要

wǒ yào

[waw yaow]

💬 Usage Tip: [要] often means both "want" and "be going to," so [我要…] can mean "I want to…" in requests like [我要辦理報到]. You can reuse it with other actions: [我要改票] "I want to change my ticket."

Phrase Breakdown

[waw]

I; me

Refers to yourself, like “I” or “me.”

Example

我要先排隊,這個「我」是說話的人自己。

I want to line up first; this “我” refers to the speaker themself.

yào

[yaow]

want; need

Used to express wanting or needing to do something.

Example

我要辦理報到,這個「要」表示想要做某事。

I want to check in; this “要” shows wanting to do something.

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