べし

Japanese

Etymology
Alternative spelling
可し (obsolete)

From Old Japanese. First attested in the Kojiki of 712 CE.[1]

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).[2]

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).

References
  1. “可”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, “Nihon Kokugo Daijiten”)‎ (in Japanese), concise edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000
  2. https://www.nhk.or.jp/bunken/research/kotoba/20210401_3.html
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