In Japanese, we use the word べき transcribed beki in cases where you might use words like “should,” “ought to,” in English: to mark something as expected or required. Though this word is a bit formal, you’ll still hear it in everyday interactions as well. For example, if your friend finds a wallet on the street you might say:
In this post, we’ll talk first about how to use べきだ transcribed beki da and its related expressions to mean “should,” then we’ll talk about some common and some more advanced ways to use the word べき transcribed beki in Japanese.
Ready to get started? Let’s dive in!
How to use べきだ [beki da] in Japanese?
In everyday conversation, the most common use of the Japanese helping verb べき transcribed beki is in the expression べきだ transcribed beki da. This expression and its variations are used much like “should” or “ought to” in English: to say that the speaker believes some action or situation is desirable.
To say someone should do something, just use べきだ transcribed beki da after the dictionary form of the verb:
Verb
dictionary formべきだTranscription: beki da行く → 行くべきだTranscription: iku →Translation: to go → should goIf you want to say that someone should be a certain way, you’ll need to add a “be” verb, ある transcribed aru, between the adjective or noun that describes and the ending.
i-adjective
stemくあるTranscription: ku aruべきだTranscription: beki da強い → 強くあるべきだTranscription: tsuyoi →Translation: strong → should be strongna-adjective / noun
dictionary formであるTranscription: de aruべきだTranscription: beki da安全 →安全であるべきだTranscription: anzen →Translation: safe → should be safe友達 →友達であるべきだTranscription: tomodachi →Translation: friend → should be friends
Let’s look at some complete sentences!
- stative verbどの町にも学校と病院があるべきだ。Transcription: Dono machi ni mo gakkō to byōin ga aru beki da.Translation: Every town should have a school and a hospital.
- passive verb校則は生徒によって作られるべきだ。Transcription: Kōsoku wa seito ni yotte tsukurareru beki da.Translation: The school rules should be made by students.
- i-adjective (stem)法律の文章はもっとわかりやすくあるべきだ。Transcription: Hōritsu no bunshō wa motto wakariyasuku aru beki da.Translation: The sentences used for laws should be easier to understand.
- na-adjective自分にもっと正直であるべきだよ。Transcription: Jibun ni motto shōjiki de aru beki da yo.Translation: You should be more honest to yourself.
- nounよい選手を育てたいなら、公正なコーチであるべきだと思います。Transcription: Yoi senshu o sodatetai nara, kōseina kōchi de aru beki da to omoimasu.Translation: If you want to train good athletes, I think you should be a fair coach.
When to use べきだ [beki da]?
We use べきだ transcribed beki da in a lot of the same situations where you’d use “should” in English, such as:
in general statements about social or cultural expectations:
学生はまじめに勉強するべきだ。Transcription: Gakusei wa majimeni benkyō suru beki da.Translation: Students should be serious about studying.to give light advice or suggestions about what the best course of action might be for a specific person:
その研修はめったにないチャンスだから、参加するべきだ。Transcription: Sono kenshū wa mettani nai chansu da kara, sanka suru beki da.Translation: The training session is a rare opportunity, so you should participate in it.to make stronger statements about personal responsibility, based on fairness or expectations:
ガラスを割ったのは君なんだから、弁償するべきだ。Transcription: Garasu o watta no wa kimi nan da kara, benshō suru beki da.Translation: Since it’s you who broke the glass, you should pay for it.
What are some other forms of べきだ [beki da]?
The basic expression べきだ transcribed beki da can be put into negative or past tense forms, to talk about things that “should not” happen, things that “should have” happened, or things that “shouldn’t have” happened, with different levels of politeness.
| Plain | Polite | English |
|---|---|---|
べきだ Transcription: beki da | べきです Transcription: beki desu | “should…” or “ought to…” |
べきではない Transcription: beki de wa nai | べきではありません Transcription: beki de wa arimasen | “should not…” |
べきだった Transcription: beki datta | べきでした Transcription: beki deshita | “should have…” |
べきではなかった Transcription: beki de wa nakatta | べきではありませんでした Transcription: beki de wa arimasen deshita | “shouldn’t have…” |
The phrases that come before these variations all follow the same grammatical rules as べきだ transcribed beki da. Let’s look at some examples of how to use each one!
べきではない [beki de wa nai]
The ending べきではない transcribed beki de wa nai, or its polite form べきではありません transcribed beki de wa arimasen, are negative forms of べきだ transcribed beki da. We use it like “should not”, to express that an action or situation is undesirable.
When you use べきではない transcribed beki de wa nai to directly tell someone what they shouldn’t do, it is understood as a strong admonition, almost like “must not.”
- こんなときに笑うべきではない。Transcription: Kon’na toki ni warau beki de wa nai.Translation: You should not (must not) laugh in a situation like this.
- 将来に対してそんなに悲観的であるべきではない。Transcription: Shōrai ni taishite son’nani hikanteki de aru beki de wa nai.Translation: You should not (must not) be so pessimistic about the future.
べきかどうか [beki ka dō ka]
Use べきかどうか transcribed beki ka dō ka after the dictionary form of a verb as an equivalent of “whether one should… (or not)” You can use this phrase to talk about your own actions or the actions of others.
You can also use べきか transcribed beki da alone, in the construction below, when you’re making a choice between two things you think you maybe should do.
Verb 1
dictionary form
Verb 2
dictionary form
べく [beku]
The ending べく transcribed beku, a conjugated form of べき transcribed beki, to describe the purpose of an action, where you might use “in order to” in English. In Japanese, we use the structure below:
Verb (Purpose)
dictionary form
Verb
main action
This structure is similar in meaning to using ために transcribed tame ni to describe the purpose of an action, but using べく transcribed beku is more formal and old-fashioned. But just as when you use “in order to” in English, the person doing each action must be the same!
What are some more advanced expressions with べき [beki]?
Finally, let’s check out some more advanced expressions that make use of the helping verb べき transcribed beki. These are more commonly covered in the N1 level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test.
〜て然るべきだ [te shikaru beki da]
The ending 〜て然るべきだ transcribed te shikaru beki da is a more formal expression meaning, roughly, “it’s only natural that…”. Here’s the structure of this ending:
“Natural” Verb
te-form
然るべき transcribed shikaru beki can also work as a noun modifier that means “appropriate,” “suitable,” “right,” or “proper”:
べくもない [beku mo nai]
You can use べくもない transcribed beku mo nai after the dictionary form of a verb where you might use “it’s impossible to…” in English. This is also a fairly formal expression.
Verb
dictionary form
〜べし [beshi] and 〜べからず [bekarazu]
べし transcribed beshi and べからず transcribed bekarazu are classical (i.e. historical) expressions, which you’ll mostly hear in old sayings or intentionally old-fashioned writing.
べし (beshi) is, essentially, the historical form of べきだ (beki da), translated as “must,” “ought to,” or “should.”
- 後生畏るべし。Transcription: Kōsei osoru beshi.Translation: You must respect (and fear) younger generations (because their potential is limitless).a saying originally from Analects of Confucius
- コーチから「全員８時に集合すべし」ってメッセージが届いたよ。Transcription: Kōchi kara “Zen’in hachiji ni shūgō su beshi” tte messēji ga todoita yo.Translation: I’ve received a message from our coach that says, “Everyone must be there at 8:00.”
べからず transcribed bekarazu essentially the negative form of べし transcribed beshi, and is used to prohibit the listener from doing something, because it’s not appropriate. The English equivalents might be “must not” or “ought not.”
この先危険。入るべからず。Transcription: Koko saki kiken. Hairu bekarazu.Translation: Danger ahead. You must not enter.This expression was once commonly used on warning signs. You may still see it used at Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines or in Japanese games and manga!
To sum up
In this post, we have explored the use of the most important Japanese expressions built around the helping verb べき transcribed beki. Here are the most important takeaways:
べきだ transcribed beki da means “should” or “ought to.” Follow these grammar templates:
べきだ transcribed beki da Verb (dictionary)
i-adjective (stem)
〜くあるTranscription: ku aruna-adjective
であるTranscription: de arunoun
であるTranscription: de aruHere are some other forms of べきだ transcribed beki da:
- べきだTranscription: beki daTranslation: “should” or “ought to”
- べきではないTranscription: beki de wa naiTranslation: “should not” or “must not”
- べきだったTranscription: beki dattaTranslation: “should have”
- べきではなかったTranscription: beki de wa nakattaTranslation: “shouldn’t have”
We also saw these common and less common expressions with べき transcribed beki:
Expression English Verb
べきTranscription: bekiNoun
a “should-verb” or “can-verb” [noun]
Verb
べきかどうかTranscription: beki ka dō ka“whether one should” [verb]
〜て然るべきだTranscription: te shikaru beki da“it’s only natural that…”
〜べくもないTranscription: beku mo nai“there’s no possibility that”
べしTranscription: beshi“must” or “ought to” (old-fashioned)
べからずTranscription: bekarazu“must not” (old-fashioned)
Now, are you ready to practice what you’ve learned? Check out our べき transcribed beki exercises exercises to test your skills! Happy learning!
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