Lecture: Usage of "Beki" in Japanese

Introduction

• Today’s topic: How to use Beki in Japanese.
• Commonly translated as "should" or "ought to".
• Often confused with hazudo and tahougaii.

Difference from Hazu and Tahougaii

• Hazudo (はず): Used for expectations.
  • E.g., "Tomo ga kuru hazu" → "I expect Tom to come".
• Tahougaii (たほうがいい): Used for giving advice.
  • Structure: past verb form + tahougaii.
  • E.g., "Shukudai o shita ho ga ii" → "You should do your homework".

Beki (べき)

• Used for moral/social obligations, what’s considered the right thing.
• Structure: verb in plain form + beki.
• Example:
  • "An old person should be given a seat": お年寄りに席を譲るべき。 (Otoshi ori ni seki o yuzuru beki).

Negative Form

• To say "should not", use beki dewanai.
  • E.g., "Usotsuku beki dewanai" → "You shouldn’t lie".

Politeness

• Adding desu or da can make sentences more polite or formal.
  • E.g., お年寄りに席を譲るべきだ (otoshi ori ni seki o yuzuru beki da).
  • Informal vs. Formal usage context explained.

Using Beki in Questions

• To form questions, add desu ka.
  • E.g., アメリカでもお年寄りに席を譲るべきですか？ (America demo otoshi ori ni seki o yuzuru beki desu ka?) → "Should you give your seat to the elderly even in America?"

Examples of Usage

• Moral Obligations: Keeping Promises
  • 約束を守るべきだ (Yakusoku o mamoru beki da) → "You should keep a promise".
• Punctuality
  • 時間を守るべきだ (Jikan o mamoru beki da) → "One should be punctual".
• Environment-friendly actions
  • ペットボトルはここに捨てるべき (peto botoru wa kokoni suteru beki) → "Plastic bottles should be thrown away here".

Past Tense Form

• Beki datta or Beki deshita: Used to express missed obligations or regrets.
  • E.g., もっと気をつけるべきだった (Motto ki o tsukeru beki datta) → "I should have been more careful".

Comparing with Tahougaii, Hazudo, and Beki

• Beki: Societal/moral expectations.
• Tahougaii: Advising someone directly.
  • E.g., "現金で払ったほうがいい" (genkin de haratta hou ga ii) → "You should pay in cash (for advice)."
• Hazudo: Personal expectations.
  • E.g., "現金で払うはず" (genkin de harau hazu) → "He is expected to pay in cash."

Advanced Concepts

• Using Beki with negatives and past.
  • E.g., 本は捨てることをしてはいけない (hon wa suteru koto o shite ha ikenai) → "You shouldn't throw away books."
• Expressing personal regrets or things you shouldn't do using Beki dewa nakatta.
  • E.g., 嘘つくべきではなかった (usotsuku beki dewa nakatta) → "I shouldn’t have lied."

Conclusion

• Beki should be used when talking about what’s generally expected by society/moral standards.
• Tahougaii is for giving personal advice.
• Hazudo is for personal expectations based on situations.
• Practice using beki correctly to denote moral/social obligations.