need

Original meaning: 

become wet

Pictograph of a person standing under the rain (), representing the meaning "become wet", now written as . The current meaning is a phonetic loan. The person component was later replaced with the phonetic component .

Components
雨 iconic component

  Iconic component

  

rain

而 sound component

  Sound component

ér

  

and

Evolution

需 Bronze script Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)

Bronze script

Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)
需 Seal script Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)
需 Clerical script Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical script

Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
需 Regular script Modern

Regular script

Modern
Definitions

 

need, require, must; to require; to need; to want; necessity; need

Most common words with 需
Freq.
Word
Meaning

需要

to need

需求

requirement

to need

无需

needless

急需

urgent need

Component uses

Sound component in 11 characters (1 verified)