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It should be mentioned I can't read kanji, so please keep that in mind when answering

I've just encountered the verb [必要]{ひつよう}, in the Rosetta Stone sentence

[私]{わたし}はチケットを[二枚]{にまい}[買]{か}う必要があります

Question 1: Does 必要 operate the same as 要ります? Is there a difference in what it implies, or is it like the english equivalent of need vs require, where the difference isn't meaning but context and which fits the sentence better?

Question 2: Can I use 必要 before and after が?
I.e. are these three sentences equally valid? Do they mean the same thing?:

  1. 私は [読]{よ}む [の・こと] が [要]{い}ります　

  2. 私は 読む 必要 が あります

  3. 私は 読む [の・こと] が 必要 です

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Greg
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1 Answers1

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In fact, 必要 is not a verb, but a noun. It can be an adjective if it is followed by な. As a noun, 必要　means "a necessity" or "a need". As an adjective, it means "necessary" or "needed".

そんなに高いパソコン買う必要ありますか？ Is there a necessity to buy such an expensive computer?

たくさんの文献を読む必要がある。 There is a necessity to read a lot of literature.

ログインが必要です。 The login is a necessity.

必要な物 necessary things

But 要る / 要ります is a real verb, so the construction will be different:

パソコンが要ります。 I need a computer.

I would say that the meaning is quite similar, and that the main difference is their role in the sentence (verb, noun, adjective).

A slight difference about the meaning could be that 必要がある is more used in order to express an "external necessity" (that doesn't come from you), like a rule or a law. For instance, if you want to buy something, there is a necessity for you to have money. On the contrary, 要る can also express that you want something, so this is an "internal necessity" (that comes from you).

As @naruto said in the comments, the expression "を必要とする" ("require" / "call for") can also be found:

パソコンを必要とする。 This task requires a computer.

技術を必要とする分野 a field that requires skill

As @Chocolate♦ said in the comments, "読むことが要ります" would be understood but it sounds strange and is almost not used. Prefer other suggested alternatives.

RotS
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    That should be パソコンが要ります. – Angelos Aug 27 '15 at 14:43
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    And there's also パソコンを必要とする. – naruto Aug 27 '15 at 15:00
  • @Nothingatall thank you for highlighting this. I fixed it. – RotS Aug 27 '15 at 15:18
  • @naruto I added your remark to the answer. – RotS Aug 27 '15 at 15:46
  • What about my question 2? Flaw was referring to other questions in his comments that I've since deleted; please let me know if my usage in the 3 sentences is correct and if there's any difference in their meaning. Thank you :) – Greg Aug 28 '15 at 12:10
  • @Greg In the first group of example sentences, you can find one where 必要 is after が (the third one), one where 必要 is before が (the second one). The three constructions "verb+ことが必要です", "verb+必要がある" and "verb+ことが要ります" are correct. The slight difference of meaning is the one explained in the answer. – RotS Aug 28 '15 at 13:06
  • @RotS Many thanks; I constructed the third example myself, to see if hitsuyo could be moved around; would there be any contextual difference between #2 and #3? – Greg Aug 28 '15 at 13:30
  • @Greg According to a Japanese friend, これをする必要があります is easier to understand and a little more frequent than これをすることが必要です, but the meaning is the same. – RotS Aug 28 '15 at 15:38
  • @RotS Thanks! That's exactly what I was looking for; whether it means the same thing and which sounds better/more natural to a native ear – Greg Aug 28 '15 at 18:57
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    '...and "verb+ことが要ります" are correct.' >> We don't say 読むことが要ります. If not use the word 必要, you'd say 読まないといけません, 読まなければいけません etc. – chocolate Sep 09 '15 at 04:53
  • @choco 'We don't say 読むことが要ります.' >> On this website link we can find an occurrence of this sentence though: 例えば、将棋についての全ての規則や初期状態や評価方法などを入力しても、最善手を得るためには、実際に盤面を進めて、読むことが要ります。 What is your opinion about this case? – RotS Sep 09 '15 at 08:15
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    I think it's understandable but awkward, unnatural or sloppy. There's only 104 results on Google for "ことが要ります", only 1 for "読むことが要ります", and I wouldn't recommend learners to use it. – chocolate Sep 09 '15 at 14:21
  • Why in this sentence with 必要 is it は and not が? あなたは行く必要はない。 – Starckman Feb 15 '21 at 16:39