1.
should; must; ought to
Classical auxiliary expressing strong obligation, appropriateness, or natural expectation. Attaches to the dictionary form of a verb. Found in formal maxims, notices, classical literature, and stiff written prose.
Archaic/formal auxiliary. In modern Japanese, べし has largely been replaced by べき (attributive) and should/must expressions using なければならない or ～すべき.
Forms
- べし (predicative): 行くべし (one should go)
- べき (attributive): 行くべき道 (the path one should take)
- べく (conjunctive): 行くべく (in order to go; so as to go)
- べからず (negative): 行くべからず (one must not go)
The negative べからず still appears commonly on formal notices and signs.
Similar words
- べき: should; ought to (the attributive form, widely used in modern Japanese)
- べく: in order to (conjunctive form, used in formal writing)