How to Write 该 (gāi) — Meaning “should; ought to; it's one's turn”

Imagine a pig (亥) talking to you (讠) and saying, 'You should (该) listen to me!' The pig shape of 亥 (with its curved tail) combined with the speech radical makes it easy to recall. Another trick: think of 'gāi' sounding like 'guy' – you should listen to that guy talk.

Write the left radical 讠 first: dot, then a horizontal fold (shù zhé), finishing with a vertical stroke. The right part 亥 starts with a dot, then horizontal, a left-falling stroke, a curved hook (竖弯钩), another left-falling stroke, and ends with a dot. A common mistake is making the last dot too big or forgetting the curved hook – keep the hook tight and the right side slightly wider than the left.

All three share the 讠 radical, but their right parts differ. 该 uses 亥 (pig zodiac), 讲 uses 井 (a well), and 讳 uses 韦 (tanned leather). The meanings are also distinct: 该 means 'should', 讲 means 'to speak/talk', and 讳 means 'to avoid mentioning'. Visually, 该's right side has a curved hook, while 讲 has two vertical strokes and 讳 has a horizontal fold hook.

该 is most commonly seen in the word 应该 (yīng gāi), meaning 'should' or 'ought to', used in everyday advice or obligations. It also appears in phrases like 活该 (huó gāi, 'serve you right'), which is a casual expression often said when someone gets what they deserve. In formal writing, 该 can be used alone (e.g., 该当惩罚) to indicate what is proper or deserved.

Common words containing 该 include: 应该 (yīng gāi) — should; ought to; 该当 (gāi dāng) — should / ought to / deserve; 活该 (huó gāi) — serve someone right / deserve.