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HSK 2

得

structural particle; must; to obtain

particleneutral
得
de / děi / dé3rd tone

HSK level

1
2
3
4
5
6
Pinyin
de / děi / dé
Part of speech
particle
Level
HSK 2
Strokes
11
Register
neutral

Stroke order for 得

得 is written with 11 strokes. The animation replays automatically.

What does 得 mean?

得 is a single character with three readings that learners must keep separate.

As a structural particle (de, neutral tone) it links a verb to a complement of degree or manner: 他跑得很快 ('he runs fast') — the 得 attaches the description 很快 to the verb 跑. As a modal verb (děi, third tone) it means 'must / have to' in spoken Chinese — 我得走了 ('I have to go now') — and is more casual than 必须 (bìxū). As a verb (dé, second tone) it means 'to obtain / to get' and shows up in compounds like 得到 (dé dào, 'to receive') and 得分 (dé fēn, 'to score points').

The same character; the reading depends on grammar and context. Beginners should master the de-particle pattern first since it's the most frequent.

Note: 得 is one character with three pronunciations and very different functions. Read 'de' it's a particle (toneless); read 'děi' it's a colloquial 'must'; read 'dé' it's a verb meaning 'to obtain.' Context — and tone — disambiguates.

Example sentences

他汉语说得很好。

Tā Hànyǔ shuō de hěn hǎo.

He speaks Chinese very well.

neutral

我得走了，明天见！

Wǒ děi zǒu le, míngtiān jiàn!

I have to go, see you tomorrow!

spoken

你跑得太快了！

Nǐ pǎo de tài kuài le!

You're running too fast!

spoken

我们今天得早点儿睡觉。

Wǒmen jīntiān děi zǎo diǎnr shuìjiào.

We have to go to bed earlier tonight.

spoken

他得到了第一名。

Tā dé dào le dì-yī míng.

He got first place.

neutral

Common phrases with 得

跑得快pǎo de kuàiruns fast
说得好shuō de hǎospeaks well; well said
我得走了wǒ děi zǒu leI have to go
得到dé dàoto obtain; to receive
做得对zuò de duìdid it correctly

Synonyms

必须bìxū

Formal 'must' — written and spoken in serious contexts. 得 (děi) is the casual everyday equivalent: 我必须走 sounds more emphatic / formal than 我得走.

要yào

要 means 'want to / need to / will,' a softer obligation than 得 (děi). 我要走 is 'I'm going to leave'; 我得走 is 'I have to leave (no choice).'

Don't confuse 得 with

的de

的 is the possessive/modifying particle (我的书, 'my book'). 得 attaches verbs to complements (跑得快). Beginners constantly mix them — pick by what comes before: noun → 的, verb → 得.

地de

地 attaches adverbs to verbs (慢慢地走, 'walk slowly'). 得 attaches a complement after the verb (走得慢). Three particles, all read 'de,' all different jobs.

到dào

到 means 'to arrive / reach' and marks completion (看到, 'saw'). 得 is a particle. Same neighborhood in beginner grammar; entirely different roles.

FAQ

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