N3 · Expressions (N3)
べき: ought to, should
べきだ and べきではない
べきだ states what is right or proper — an opinion about duty, firmer than advice.
At a glance
- Remember
- べき is duty and principle; たほうがいい is advice.
- Form
- 守るべきだought to keep
- Signal words
- 〜べきだ
- 〜べきではない
- 〜べきだった
- すべき
- 〜べき〜
- Trap
- Wrong:雨だから、傘を持っていくべきですよ。Right:雨だから、傘を持っていったほうがいいですよ。
Your turn
8 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.
The form
| ought to keep | 守るべきだ |
| ought not to say | 言うべきではない |
| should have asked | 相談するべきだった |
| ought to do (written) | すべきだ |
| what ought to be done | するべきこと |
| ought to be fair | 公平であるべきだ |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
Dictionary form + べきだ: this ought to be done.
学生はもっと本を読むべきだ。Students ought to read more books.
The negative is べきではない; the verb itself stays positive.
子どもの前でけんかをするべきではない。You should not argue in front of children.
べきだった looks back with regret: "should have".
傘を持ってくるべきだった。I should have brought an umbrella.
For friendly advice, たほうがいい is the usual choice.
熱があるなら、休んだほうがいいよ。If you have a temperature, you had better rest.
Example sentences
困っている人がいたら、助けるべきだ。If someone is in trouble, you ought to help them.
時間は守るべきです。One ought to be on time.
知らない人について行くべきではない。You should not go off with strangers.
あのとき、本当のことを言うべきだった。I should have told the truth then.
今何をすべきか、よく考えよう。Let's think carefully about what we ought to do now.
政治家は正直であるべきだ。Politicians ought to be honest.
7 more example sentences
人の意見もよく聞くべきだ。You ought to listen properly to other people's views as well.
分からないことは質問すべきです。You should ask about anything you do not understand.
約束を破るべきではない。You should not break a promise.
もっと早く病院に行くべきだった。I should have gone to the hospital sooner.
それは自分で決めるべきことだ。That is something you ought to decide for yourself.
教育は誰にでも平等であるべきだ。Education ought to be equal for everyone.
言うべきことは、はっきり言ったほうがいい。It is better to say clearly what needs to be said.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
English "you should take an umbrella" is friendly advice. べき makes it a moral duty, as if leaving the umbrella at home were wrong. Everyday advice is たほうがいい; べき is kept for what is right or proper.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
べき after the dictionary form of a verb says that something ought to be done: 約束は守るべきだ, "promises ought to be kept". It is a judgement about what is right, made by the speaker, and sounds firm. At the end of a sentence it takes だ or です; before a noun it stands directly: するべきこと, "what ought to be done".
The negative is べきではない, "ought not to": 人の悪口を言うべきではない. The verb before べき stays positive; 言わないべき is not the usual form. In the past, べきだった is regret: もっと早く相談するべきだった, "I should have asked sooner".
する has two forms here: するべき and the older すべき, which is common in writing and formal speech. Both are correct. Adjectives and nouns take であるべき: 公平であるべきだ, "it ought to be fair".
English "should" is often only advice, and learners use べき for it: この映画を見るべきです tells a friend it is their duty to see a film. For personal advice Japanese uses たほうがいい; べき is for principles, rules of conduct and strong opinions, and said to a superior it can sound like a lecture.
A closer look
べき and なければならない
なければならない states an obligation imposed from outside — a rule, a deadline, a necessity: 明日までに出さなければならない. It says nothing about whether the speaker approves.
べき states the speaker's own view of what is right. 税金は払わなければならない reports the law; 税金は払うべきだ argues that paying is the proper thing to do. That is why べき appears in opinions, essays and debates.
Exceptions and special cases (1)
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the verb is する
both するべき and すべき are correct; すべき is more formal and common in writing.
政府はこの問題に早く対応すべきだ。The government ought to deal with this problem quickly.
す is an old dictionary form of する, and べき itself comes from the classical language, which kept the old form alive in this one combination.
Worth knowing (1)
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べきか: whether one ought to
With か, べき turns into a question of conscience: 行くべきか、やめるべきか, "should I go or not?". It is how a speaker weighs a decision aloud.
会社を辞めるべきか、まだ迷っている。I am still torn over whether I ought to quit my job.
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