Japanese

べく

べく
Meaning: in order to; should; must
Part of Speech: Auxiliary verb

Listen to pronunciation

Show inflections Hide inflections

Verb inflections

Form Affirmative Negative
Present べく べかない
Polite べきます べきません
Past べいた べかなかった
Polite + Past べきました べきませんでした
Te-form べいて べかなくて
Potential べける べけない
Passive べかれる べかれない
Causative べかせる べかせない
Causative + Passive べかされる べかされない
Imperative べけ べくな

Handwriting

べ
く

Example

I am studying hard every day in order to pass the exam.

Usage Notes

A formal expression derived from the classical auxiliary 'beshi'. In modern Japanese, it is mostly used in the sense of 'for the purpose of' or 'with the intention to'.

Sottaku

About Sottaku

Sottaku is an app for learning Chinese, Japanese, Korean, English, Spanish, French, German, and Italian with a strong focus on SRS. It includes automatic flashcard creation for hundreds of thousands of words, grammar breakdowns in example sentences, language-specific study packs where available, adaptive quizzes, mobile apps, a browser extension, and community features. Give it a try now! All learning content is free with no limits on flashcards or study time.

Sottaku is built to match the habits of successful learners. By using Sottaku, you will naturally learn in the most efficient way possible, as proven by countless success stories in the language learning community.

Free Forever

Access all grammar guides, quizzes, and flashcards without paying a cent. Quality education should be accessible to everyone.

Smart SRS System

Our flashcard system uses the FSRS algorithm (also used in Anki) to optimize your review schedule and maximize retention.

Comprehensive Content

From hanzi, kana, hangul, and European vocabulary basics to grammar and reading practice where available, we have lessons for every level. Practice with quizzes tailored to your skill.

Community Chat

Ask level-appropriate questions and get help from the community. Learn together with fellow learners across all 8 supported languages.