Kilo Lingo

(bù gāi) - should not, ought not to in Mandarin

gāi

Traditional: 不該

Line drawing of 不该
Coloured illustration of 不该
HSK 3
#779 of 5,000 Core 1000

Translation

should not, ought not to

Word origin

A two-character expression: 不 'not' plus 该 'ought to, should' (the simplified speech radical 讠with 亥 hài as phonetic). Together 不该 means 'should not'.

Origin
compound
Root
不 (not) + 该 (讠speech + 亥 hài phonetic)

Stroke order

Stroke order for 不

Stroke order for 该

Examples

You should not say that.

I should not have been late.

He should not give up.

You should not have spoken to her like that.

I should not have trusted him.

不该 (bù gāi) means should not, ought not to. It is used as a verb in everyday Mandarin speech.

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Mandarin · Free printables

不该: worksheet, infographic and listicle

Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "不该" (should not, ought not to): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.

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This word is part of lesson 16.