该

Tap the pinyin to hear it

should; ought to; probably; must be; to deserve; to owe; to be sb's turn to do sth; that; the above-mentioned

Sound it out + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Phono-semantic compound (形声字)

讠 meaning “speech” + 亥 sound ( hài )

Components 讠亥

should · Heisig RSH #1198

words + acorn

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
罪该万死	zuì gāi wàn sǐ	(idiom) deserving the severest punishment; death is too good for sb
亚该亚	Yà gāi yà	Achaia
米该亚	Mǐ gāi yà	Micah
撒都该人	sā dū gāi rén	Sadducees
哈该书	Hā gāi shū	Book of Haggai
应该的	yīng gāi de	(polite response) you're welcome; just doing my duty; no problem
不该	bù gāi	should not
合该	hé gāi	ought to; should
该亚	Gāi yà	Gaea, the Earth Goddess and mother of the Titans
该死	gāi sǐ	Damn it!; damned; wretched
该当	gāi dāng	should; to deserve
应该	yīng gāi	ought to; should; must
该应	gāi yīng	should
活该	huó gāi	(coll.) serve sb right; deservedly; ought; should
该博	gāi bó	erudite; broad and profound; learned
该隐	Gāi yǐn	Cain (name); Cain (biblical character), a figure of Judeo-Christian-Muslim mythology

Characters sharing the sound component 亥 — compare how they read.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
亥 sound part	hài	12th terrestrial branch; used in transliterations
核	hé	core, kernel; nut, seed; atom
刻	kè	to carve, to engrave; a quarter hour; a moment
孩	hái	baby, child; children
骇	hài	to terrify, to shock, to frighten
咳	hāi	to cough
骸	hái	skeleton, body; leg bone
颏	kē	chin
赅	gāi	to include; to prepare for
劾	hé	to look into; to impeach, to charge
氦	hài	helium
垓	gāi	border, boundary, frontier
阂	hé	separated, blocked; to prevent, to block
胲	hǎi	hydroxylamine
陔	gāi	ledge, step, terrace; slope