べし

Japanese

Etymology

Alternative spelling
可し (obsolete)

From Old Japanese. First attested in the Kojiki of 712 CE.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [be̞ɕi]

Suffix

べし • (-beshi) 

1. (attaching to terminal form) must, shall

   Antonym: まじ (maji)

   1. indicating certainty

      地(ち)方(ほう)路(ろ)線(せん)のいくつかはやがて廃(はい)止(し)されるべき運(うん)命(めい)にある。

      Chihō rosen no ikutsuka wa yagate haishisarerubeki unmei ni aru.

      Some of the local railways will soon be abolished.

   2. indicating requirement

      この件(けん)については君(きみ)が責(せき)任(にん)をとるべきだ。

      Kono ken ni tsuite wa kimi ga sekinin o torubeki da.

      You should take responsibility on this.

      明日(あした)は八(はち)時(じ)までに出(しゅっ)勤(きん)すべし。

      Ashita wa hachiji made ni shukkin-subeshi.

      You should work until eight o'clock tomorrow.

      英(えい)語(ご)は声(こえ)を出(だ)して読(よ)むべきだ。

      Eigo wa koe o dashite yomu beki da.

      You should read English aloud.

      来(らい)年(ねん)の博(はく)覧(らん)会(かい)開(かい)催(さい)に間(ま)に合(あ)わせるべく、突(とっ)貫(かん)工(こう)事(じ)が行(おこな)われている。

      Rainen no hakurankai kaisai ni ma ni awaseru beku, tokkan kōji ga okonawareteiru.

      In order to hold the exhibition in time next year, hasty construction is underway.

Usage notes

• This word is morphologically a clitic. It is classified as 助動詞 (jodōshi, “auxiliary verb”) in traditional Japanese grammar. Syntactically, it is essentially a verb suffix, attaching only to the terminal or predicative form of the verb rather than to any of the other conjugation stems.
• This inflects very similarly to Classical adjectives.
• The verb する (suru, “to do”) typically takes the classical terminal form す (su), rather than the modern terminal form する (suru), when used with べし (beshi): すべし (subeshi) ("should do").
  • However, there is a minority that uses するべし (surubeshi).

Inflection

Inflection of "べし"

Stem forms	Imperfective (未然形)	べから	bekara
	Continuative (連用形)	べく	beku
	Terminal (終止形)	べし	beshi
	Attributive (連体形)	べき べかる	beki bekaru
	Hypothetical (仮定形)	べけれ	bekere
	Imperative (命令形)	－	－
Key constructions	Informal negative	べきじゃない	beki ja nai
	Informal past	べきだった	beki datta
	Informal negative past	べきじゃなかった	beki ja nakatta
	Formal	べきです	beki desu
	Formal negative	べきではありません	beki de wa arimasen
	Formal past	べきでした	beki deshita
	Formal negative past	べきではありませんでした	beki de wa arimasen deshita
	Conjunctive	べく べくて	beku bekute
	Conditional	べきだったら	beki dattara
	Provisional	べければ	bekereba
	Volitional	べきだろう べきでしょう	beki darō beki deshō
	Adverbial	べく	beku
	Degree	-	-

Classical conjugation of "べし" (ク活用, see Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Stem forms
Irrealis (未然形)	べく[1] べから[2]		beku bekara
Continuative (連用形)	べく[1] べかり[2]		beku bekari
Terminal (終止形)	べし		besi
Attributive (連体形)	べき べかる		beki bekaru
Realis (已然形)	べけれ		bekere
Imperative (命令形)	べかれ		bekare
Key constructions
Negative	べからず		bekarazu
Contrasting conjunction	べけれど		bekeredo
Causal conjunction	べければ		bekereba
Conditional conjunction	べくば		bekuba
Past tense (firsthand knowledge)	べかりき		bekariki
Past tense (secondhand knowledge)	べかりけり		bekarikeri
Adverbial	べく		beku
[1]Without auxiliary verb. [2]With auxiliary verb.

• The modern conjugation of べし is a combination of its classical conjugation and the conjugation of べき + だ (da).