该

該

gāi

verb HSK 7 #129

Meanings

1 should
2 ought to

Characters

should; ought to; that

Speech radical 讠+ 亥 — words about what one ought to do

Examples

你该休息了。

Nǐ gāi xiūxi le.

You should rest now.

我该怎么办？

Wǒ gāi zěnme bàn?

What should I do?

现在该你了。

Xiànzài gāi nǐ le.

Now it's your turn.

Tips

grammar

该 is softer than 必须 (must) but stronger than 可以 (may). It implies something is expected or proper.

usage

该...了 pattern expresses 'it's time to...': 该吃饭了 = It's time to eat, 该走了 = It's time to go.

Stroke Order

该 gāi