(gāi sǐ) - damn it, dammit (mild expletive) in Mandarin

gāisǐ

Traditional: 該死

HSK 6

#315 of 5,000 Core 1000

Translation

damn it, dammit (mild expletive)

Word origin

A compound of 该 (gai) 'ought to' and 死 (si) 'to die', the latter showing 歹 'bare bones' beside a kneeling figure. 'Ought to die' is used as a mild curse, 'damn it'.

Origin: compound
Root: 该 (gai, 'ought to') + 死 (si, 'to die', with 歹 radical)

Stroke order

该

死

Examples

，。

Damn it, I forgot my keys.

！

This wretched weather!

，。

Damn, I'm late again.

,。

Damn it, I forgot my wallet.

雨yǔ。

Bloody weather, it's raining again.

该死 (gāi sǐ) - damn it, dammit (mild expletive).

Where this fits

The 1,000 most common Mandarin words

Where this word sits in the core vocabulary, and what to learn around it.

Mandarin vocabulary by HSK level

How many words each level actually needs, with real counts.

Mandarin learning guides

Podcasts, pronunciation traps and the things a word list cannot teach.

Add to review queue

Track this word in your spaced-repetition queue and be tested on it at the right interval.

Go to my review queue

Mandarin · Free printables

该死: worksheet, infographic and listicle

Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "该死" (damn it, dammit (mild expletive)): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.

Free for members

The printable worksheets, infographics and PDFs are free with an account. Start a free week and download as many as you like.

Start your free week

This word is part of lesson 7.