該 (gāi) - Should, ought to & that, the said

該Tone 1

gāi ｜ 13 strokes ｜ radical:

枫惠

該 · gāi

Should, ought to;

that, the said;

this, such;

used as a grammatical particle indicating emphasis or necessity.

Should, ought tothat, the saidthis, such

Usage highlights

Should beOught toThis/thatThe saidDeserveCurrent

Synonyms

  • 應— should, ought to
  • 當— ought, should
  • 此— this
  • 彼— that

Antonyms

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • You should go (你該去).
  • This book is the one I want (該書).
  • He ought to be responsible (他該負責).
  • The said company (該公司).

Collocations

  • Should be(應該)
  • Ought to(該當)
  • This/that(該)
  • The said(該)
  • Deserve(活該)
  • Current(本次)

Idioms

  • Serves you right(活該)
  • Deserve punishment(罪有應得)
  • Get what one deserves(咎由自取)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Used in formal writing to refer to something previously mentioned, similar to 'the said' or 'aforementioned' in English.
  • In modern usage, often appears in the compound 應該 (yīnggāi) meaning 'should' or 'ought to'.
  • The character combines the speech radical (言) with the phonetic component亥.

FAQ