Meaning of 得
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to obtain
- to get
- to gain
- to catch (a disease)
- proper
- suitable
- proud
- contented
- structural particle: used after a verb (or adjective as main verb), linking it to following phrase indicating effect, degree, possibility etc
- to have to
- must
- ought to
- to need to
- used in 得瑟[de4 se5]
How to use 得
As a verb, 得 (dé) means to get or obtain, often in words like 得到 (dédào) and 取得 (qǔdé). Its most common use is the neutral-tone particle de, which links a verb to a comment on how well or how much it was done: 他说得很快 (tā shuō de hěn kuài), He speaks fast. It is also read děi to mean 'must', as in 我得走了 (wǒ děi zǒu le), I have to go.
得 starts with 彳, the 'step' component, so picture someone walking out and coming back having gained something. When you go out and make the effort, you 得 (dé) get it.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up the three particles de: 的 goes before nouns, 地 goes before verbs, and 得 goes after verbs to describe the result or degree. Write 跑得快 (pǎo de kuài), not 跑的快.
得 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
得 dé · to obtain · 11 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
Related words
Words that share a character with 得.
| 觉得 | juéde | to think that ...; to feel that ...; to feel (uncomfortable etc) |
| 得到 | dédào | to get; to obtain; to receive |
| 记得 | jìde | to remember |
| 懂得 | dǒngde | to understand; to know; to comprehend |
| 取得 | qǔdé | to acquire; to get; to obtain |
| 得出 | déchū | to obtain (a result); to arrive at (a conclusion) |
| 不得不 | bùdébù | have no choice or option but to; cannot but |
| 值得 | zhídé | worth the money; to merit; to deserve; to be worth (doing sth) |
| 认得 | rènde | to recognize; to remember sth (or sb) on seeing it |
| 显得 | xiǎnde | to seem; to look |
| 得分 | défēn | to score a point (in a competition, test etc); score; rating; grade |
| 获得 | huòdé | to obtain; to receive; to get |
Questions about 得
What does 得 mean?
得 (dé) means "to obtain; to get" and is used as a verb and auxiliary verb.
How do you write 得?
得 is made of 1 character: 得 (11 strokes). That is 11 strokes in total.
Is 得 an HSK word?
Yes. 得 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do I know whether to read 得 as dé, de, or děi?
If it comes right after a verb and introduces a description, like 写得好, it is neutral de. If it comes before a verb and means 'have to', like 我得去, it is děi. If it is a main verb meaning 'get', or appears in words like 得到, it is dé.
How do I say someone does something badly or cannot do it with 得?
For a negative degree, put 不 after 得: 他唱得不好 (tā chàng de bù hǎo), He sings poorly. For impossibility, use 不 in place of 得: 听得懂 (can understand) becomes 听不懂 (tīng bu dǒng, cannot understand).