该gāi
Character evolution
该
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Simplified · Today
繁体
Traditional Chinese
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Shuowen
该 (gāi). The character combines the speech radical 讠 with 亥 as the phonetic component; in oracle bone and bronze inscriptions it depicted words exchanged between persons, originally meaning "to respond" or "to answer." The meaning shifted over time to express what is appropriate or fitting—hence "should" and "ought to"—because proper speech implies saying what is right.
Pinyin
gāi· HSK 1