How is 该 pronounced?

该 is pronounced “gāi” in pinyin.

What HSK level is 该?

该 belongs to HSK 2 in the HSK 3.0 vocabulary.

How do you write 该?

Follow the stroke-order animation above; 该 is written using standard stroke order. Practice it in the writing trainer.

HSK 2verbpronoun

该

Traditional: 該

gāi

该 (gāi) means “should; ought to; probably; must be; to deserve; to owe; to be sb's turn to do sth; that; the above-mentioned”. It is an HSK 2 Chinese character (traditional 該) in the HSK 3.0 vocabulary.

Stroke order

Practice writing

Example

现在该你发言了，请开始吧。

Gāi nǐ fāyán le.

It's your turn to speak.

Words containing 该

应该yīng gāiought to; should; must 活该huó gāi(coll.) serve sb right; deservedly; ought

More HSK 2 vocabulary

HSK 2 →

白báisurname Bai 百bǎisurname Bai 帮助bāng zhùassistance; aid; to help; to assist 报纸bào zhǐnewspaper; newsprint 比bǐBelgium; Belgian; abbr. for 比利时别biésurname Bie 宾馆bīn guǎnguesthouse; lodge; hotel 长chánglength; long; forever; always; constantly 唱歌chàng gēto sing a song 出chūto go out; to come out; to occur; to produce; to go beyond; to rise; to put forth; to happen; (used after a verb to indicate an outward direction or a positive result); classifier for dramas, plays, operas etc 穿chuānto wear; to put on; to dress; to bore through; to pierce; to perforate; to penetrate; to pass through; to thread 次cìnext in sequence; second; the second (day, time etc); secondary; vice-; sub-; infra-; inferior quality; substandard; order; sequence; hypo- (chemistry); classifier for enumerated events: time

Frequently asked questions

What does 该 mean?: 该 (gāi) means “should; ought to; probably; must be; to deserve; to owe; to be sb's turn to do sth; that; the above-mentioned”. It is an HSK 2 word.
How is 该 pronounced?: 该 is pronounced “gāi” in pinyin.
What HSK level is 该?: 该 belongs to HSK 2 in the HSK 3.0 vocabulary.
How do you write 该?: Follow the stroke-order animation above; 该 is written using standard stroke order. Practice it in the writing trainer.

Updated: 2026-07-18