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該

简 该 · 繁 該
Mandarin · pinyin gāi

Meanings

  1. should
  2. ought to
  3. probably
  4. must be
  5. to deserve
  6. to owe
  7. to be sb's turn to do sth
  8. that
  9. the above-mentioned
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Characters in this entry

該
gāi · should, ought to, need to
该
gāi · should, ought to, need to
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

1 · gai1

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2character links14same-tone records
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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

該 · find source passages ↗ · 该 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 15 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

goi1

Cantonese word readings for 該. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

character · Etymology 1

  1. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to contain; to include
  2. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) extensive; comprehensive; wide
  3. will be; going to be
  4. should; ought to; need to; have to
  5. to deserve; to serve someone right
  6. to be one's turn (to do something)
  7. (colloquial) to owe
  8. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) all; everywhere
  9. particle used for emphasis
  10. (formal) the aforementioned; such; that; this
  11. (dialectal) that; this

character · Etymology 2

  1. (Ningbonese) this

character · Etymology 3

  1. (Taishanese) this
  2. (Taishanese) this; so; such
  3. (Taishanese) here

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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