Writing
必须 (bìxū) — how to say "must" in Chinese
必须
Must, have to
adverb of likelihood
How to use it
Goes before the verb and says how likely it is.
你必须早点儿来。
nǐ bì xū zǎo diǎnr lái
You must come a bit early.
Character composition
必
necessarily
须
must, need to
Radicals / Keys
心
Heart
#61 · xīn · 4 strokes
頁
Leaf
#181 · yè · 9 strokes
Synonyms
务必
must, be sure to
wù bì · polite imperative, in requests
得
must, have to, need to
děi · colloquial, spoken
必
must
bì · formal, written
Collocations
必须完成
bìxū wánchéng
must complete
必须参加
bìxū cānjiā
must attend
必须努力
bìxū nǔlì
must work hard
Examples
为了明天的考试，我必须今晚复习到十点。
For tomorrow's exam, I have to study until ten tonight.
你必须现在走吗？
Do you have to leave right now?
Mnemonic
[bìxū-] Bigfoot 🦶 is at a crosswalk holding a 必 "NECESSARILY" sign that reads: "WAIT FOR THE GREEN LIGHT – 必 YOU MUST WAIT!" He shakes his head 须 and gestures with the sign to emphasize that crossing is not permitted until 必 the correct light appears.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say "must" in Chinese?
"must" in Chinese is 必须 (bìxū).
What does 必须 mean in English?
必须 (bìxū) means "Must, have to".
How is 必须 pronounced?
It is pronounced bìxū (written as bixu). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "must" in Chinese characters?
It is written 必须: 必 has 5 strokes, 须 has 9 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order of each character and lets you trace it.
What HSK level is 必须?
必须 belongs to the HSK 3 vocabulary list.
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