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HSK 3

必须

must; have to

adverbneutral
必
bì4th tone
须
xū1st tone

HSK level

1
2
3
4
5
6
Pinyin
bìxū
Part of speech
adverb
Level
HSK 3
Strokes
14
Register
neutral

Stroke order for 必须

必须 is written with 14 strokes (必: 5, 须: 9). The animation replays automatically.

What does 必须 mean?

必须 (bìxū) is the adverb 'must / have to,' expressing obligation or necessity that comes from rules, logic, or strong personal resolve.

It is placed before the verb: 你必须去 (you must go), 我们必须准时 (we must be on time). Two key differences from English 'must': first, 必须 carries a tone of external requirement or firm necessity — for softer 'should' use 应该 (yīnggāi), and for casual 'gotta' use 得 (děi); second, the negative is NOT 不必须. To say 'don't have to,' use 不必 (bùbì) or 不用 (búyòng); to say 'must not,' use 不能 (bùnéng) or 不可以 (bù kěyǐ).

必须 itself stays in the affirmative. It is common in signs, regulations, and any context where the speaker wants the obligation to sound firm.

Note: Slightly stronger and more formal than 得 (děi). Use 必须 in writing, instructions, rules; use 得 in casual speech.

Character by character

必bìmust; certainly; necessarily
+
须xūmust; necessary; ought to
=
必须

Memory hook: Two 'must' characters in a row — necessity doubled.

Example sentences

明天的会议你必须参加。

Míngtiān de huìyì nǐ bìxū cānjiā.

You must attend tomorrow's meeting.

neutral

学生必须按时交作业。

Xuéshēng bìxū ànshí jiāo zuòyè.

Students must hand in their homework on time.

written

我们必须六点之前到机场。

Wǒmen bìxū liù diǎn zhīqián dào jīchǎng.

We have to get to the airport before six.

neutral

想学好中文，就必须多说多练。

Xiǎng xué hǎo Zhōngwén, jiù bìxū duō shuō duō liàn.

If you want to master Chinese, you have to speak and practice a lot.

neutral

Common phrases with 必须

必须去bìxū qùmust go
必须做bìxū zuòmust do
必须准时bìxū zhǔnshímust be on time
必须的bìxū deabsolutely; for sure (colloquial agreement)

Synonyms

得děi

得 is the spoken, casual version: 我得走了 (I gotta go). 必须 is more formal and emphatic: 我必须走 (I must leave). In conversation 得 is far more common; 必须 sounds slightly heavier.

要yào

要 ('need to / want to') is weaker and broader. 你要小心 (you should be careful) is advice; 你必须小心 (you must be careful) is a command or strict requirement.

应该yīnggāi

应该 means 'should / ought to' — moral or expected, but not strictly required. 你应该去 is a recommendation; 你必须去 leaves no choice.

Don't confuse 必须 with

必要bìyào

必要 is an adjective/noun meaning 'necessary / necessity' — 没有必要 (there's no need). 必须 is the adverb 'must' that goes before a verb. Don't say 必要去 — say 必须去 or 有必要去.

必然bìrán

必然 means 'inevitable / inevitably' — about logical certainty, not obligation. 必然结果 (inevitable result) is different from 必须做 (must do).

不必búbì

不必 is the negation pair — 'don't have to / no need to.' Beginners often write 不必须, which is wrong. 必须 has no direct negative; use 不必 or 不用 instead.

FAQ

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