gāi
verb HSK 2 #129

Meanings

  1. 1 should
  2. 2 ought to

Characters

Speech radical + - words about what one ought to do

Examples

HSK 1
Nǐ gāi xiūxi le.
You should rest now.
HSK 1
Xiànzài gāi nǐ le.
Now it's your turn.
HSK 2
Wǒ gāi zěnmebàn?
What should I do?

Tips

grammar
is softer than 必须 (must) but stronger than 可以 (may). It implies something is expected or proper.
usage
... pattern expresses 'it's time to...': 吃饭 = It's time to eat, = It's time to go.

Components

radical
yán
speech (radical form)
Left speech radical (simplified from ) - the indexing semantic. Heads verbs of speaking, agreeing, promising, judging: , , , . In it points to the verbal sense of stating an obligation: words about what someone ought to do.
phonetic
hài
12th earthly branch (here phonetic)
Right gives the sound - shares the rime with gāi, with the initial shifting (h→g) but the rime preserved. A typical phonetic compound. Same phonetic body produces (child) and (skeleton); the 'pig / earthly branch' meaning of doesn't carry.

Stroke Order

gāi