该 Stroke Order — How to Write 该

Stroke Order

该 is written in 8 strokes, following the standard Chinese stroke order. Start from the radical 讠, then complete the remaining strokes.

Stroke order matters in Chinese: it keeps the character balanced, and it is how dictionaries and handwriting input methods expect a character to be written.

该 Radical and Character Components

Components:讠亥

该 is a phono-semantic compound: 讠 (speech) carries the meaning, while 亥 indicates the sound.

Radical: 讠 + 6 more strokes

该 Pronunciation and Pinyin

gāi

Meanings of 该 in Chinese

gāi该

Should; ought to; to be due (for)

你该休息了。

You should rest now.

Referring to something previously mentioned; that, the aforementioned.

请您仔细阅读该文件。

Please read that document carefully.

To owe; debt; outstanding payment.

你该我十块钱。

You owe me ten yuan.

Used to indicate that it is someone's turn or that something is due or expected to happen; similar to 'should' or 'it's time for'.

该你发言了。

It's your turn to speak.

An archaic variant of 'gāi' (赅), meaning complete or comprehensive.

这本书内容该博，信息量很大。

The content of this book is comprehensive and contains a lot of information.

Common Words and Phrases with 该

gāi该bān班ér儿

work in shifts

为了保持店里全天都有人值守，我们几个同事商量着该班儿。

To ensure someone is always on duty at the store, we colleagues discussed taking turns on shift.

gāi该bó博

to be broad and profound (in knowledge or learning)

那位教授不仅教学严谨，而且学识该博，无论是古典文学还是现代科技，都能侃侃而谈。

That professor not only teaches rigorously but also possesses extensive knowledge; whether it's classical literature or modern technology, he can discuss it fluently.

gāi该dāng当

Deserve; ought to; should.

遇到弱者时，我们该当伸出援手。

When encountering the weak, we ought to extend a helping hand.

gāi该shì是

must be

经过长时间的降雨，路面该是湿滑的。

After a long period of rain, the road surface must be slippery.

gāi该sǐ死

An exclamation (like 'damn it' or 'hell's bells') or an adjective ('damned') conveying strong negative emotions such as annoyance, anger, or frustration.