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该 (gāi) — (modal verb) should, ought to; used to indicate strong necessity or likelihood; to deserve (something positive or negative); to be someone's turn; to owe

Definition

该 (gāi) is a modal verb meaning 'should/ought to' and 'to deserve' — interchangeable with 应该 in most uses, but 该 sounds slightly more emphatic or colloquial. Negate with 不该, not 不用.

verb
(modal verb) shouldought toused to indicate strong necessity or likelihoodto deserve (something positive or negative)to be someone's turnto owe
Easily confused

Examples

  • 该。
    Nǐ gāi qù shàng kè le.
    You should go to class now.
  • 该。
    Tā gāi dé dào dà jiā de zūn zhòng.
    He deserves everyone's respect.
  • 该。
    Jīn tiān gāi wǒ zuò fàn.
    Today it's my turn to cook.
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 3500 Most Frequent Chinese Words1000 Most Frequent Chinese Words2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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