Grammar › Obligation & Permission
べきだ — “should, ought to”
A statement of moral or practical obligation — what's the right thing to do
べきだ attaches directly to the dictionary form of a verb (する becomes either するべきだ or すべきだ, both accepted) to say what ought to be done — moral duty, good advice, or a rule everyone should follow. It's stronger and more judgmental than たほうがいい (you'd better), and doesn't negate on its own — use べきではない for “shouldn't.”
How to form it
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Dictionary form + べきだ | もっと勉強するべきです — You should study more |
| Negative | 諦めるべきではない — You shouldn't give up |
| する exception | 留学すべきだ / 留学するべきだ — both are fine |
Example sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 約束は守るべきです。 | やくそくはまもるべきです。 yakusokuhamamorubekidesu。 | Promises should be kept. |
| あなたはもっと自分を大切にするべきです。 | あなたはもっとじぶんをたいせつにするべきです。 anatahamottojibunwotaisetsunisurubekidesu。 | You should take better care of yourself. |
| 環境問題はもっと真剣に考えるべきだ。 | かんきょうもんだいはもっとしんけんにかんがえるべきだ。 kankyoumondaihamottoshinkennikangaerubekida。 | Environmental issues should be taken more seriously. |
🔊 Tap any Japanese sentence to hear it; kanji link to their study pages.
Watch out
べきだ carries a note of moral judgment, so aiming it at someone else's personal choices (彼はもっと痩せるべきだ) can sound preachy. For gentle suggestions, たほうがいい is the safer default.
