Understanding
Collocations, Stage 2chunk 12 of 24Senses & mind
The wakaru family: you get what something means, how someone feels, or the difference between two things.
- imi ga wakaruunderstand what something means; (negative) make no sense
- kimochi ga wakaruknow how someone feels
- chigai ga wakarutell the difference
Mix-ups All three take ga + wakaru, never shitteru, which is knowing a fact; 'tell the difference' is wakaru, not iu. imi nai (it's pointless) is not imi wakannai (it makes no sense).
imi ga wakaru
polite imi ga wakarimasuunderstand what something means; (negative) make no sense
意味が分かる いみがわかる 意味が分かります
verbwakaru 分かるunderstand, be clear; here the meaning gets through to youtypical 20% of imi
trap For 'that makes no sense', learners say imi ga nai, but imi nai means 'it's pointless' (yatte mo imi nai). Something that doesn't add up is imi wakannai: you can't get the meaning. wake wakannai and the slangy imifu say the same.
Mostly heard in the negative as a casual reaction, with ga dropped: imi wakannai (that makes no sense) about a rule, a joke or someone acting strangely. Aimed at what someone just said, it's blunt, close to 'you're not making sense'; with someone above you, ask dou iu imi desu ka? instead. imi wakaru? (you get what I mean?) checks that someone is following you.
nani sore, imi wakannai.
What? That makes no sense.
何それ、意味分かんない。
sumimasen, chotto imi ga yoku wakaranai n desu kedo.
Sorry, I don't quite follow what you mean.
すみません、ちょっと意味がよく分からないんですけど。
For 'oh, that makes sense', the usual reply is naruhodo; aa, imi wakatta means 'oh, now I get it'.
Same verb: riyuu (the reason), kotoba (words, a language), setsumei (the explanation: setsumei wakatta?)Learn alongside: kimochi ga wakaru, chigai ga wakaruMain list: wakaru (Stage 2), wakannai (Stage 2), dou iu imi? (Stage 3), naruhodo (Stage 2)
kimochi ga wakaru
polite kimochi ga wakarimasuknow how someone feels
気持ちが分かる きもちがわかる 気持ちが分かります
verbwakaru 分かるunderstand; here, relate to how someone feelstypical 23% of kimochi
trap For 'I know how you feel', learners say kimochi o shitteru, but shiru is knowing a fact: kimi no kimochi shitteru means 'I know what your feelings are' (say, a crush). Relating to someone is wakaru: sono kimochi wakaru.
The everyday empathy line, with ga dropped: sono kimochi wakaru (I know how you feel), often flipped as wakaru, sono kimochi. With wa it sets up a 'but': kimochi wa wakaru kedo... (I get it, but...), the gentle way to disagree.
wakaru wakaru, sono kimochi.
Oh, I totally know how you feel.
分かる分かる、その気持ち。
sono kimochi, yoku wakarimasu.
I know exactly how you feel.
その気持ち、よく分かります。
hito no kimochi ga wakannai (has no idea how other people feel) is a common complaint about someone tactless. To a customer or someone senior it's okimochi: okimochi wa wakarimasu ga... (I understand, but...).
Same verb: kanji (that feeling: sono kanji wakaru), tsurasa (how hard it is), kurou (what someone went through)Learn alongside: imi ga wakaru, chigai ga wakaruMain list: wakaru (Stage 2), shitteru (Stage 2)
chigai ga wakaru
polite chigai ga wakarimasutell the difference
違いが分かる ちがいがわかる 違いが分かります
verbwakaru 分かるunderstand, be clear; here you can make out the differencetypical 4% of chigai
trap Learners put o on it (chigai o wakaranai), but wakaru takes ga, or drops it in speech: chigai wakannai. 'Tell' isn't iu or oshieru here either: chigai o oshiete asks someone to explain the difference. kubetsu tsukanai (can't tell them apart) also works.
Mostly negative, after tasting or comparing two things: zenzen chigai wakannai (I can't tell the difference at all), with ga dropped. The things compared take no: kono futatsu no chigai.
shoujiki, zenzen chigai wakannai.
Honestly, I can't tell the difference at all.
正直、全然違い分かんない。
shoujiki, zenzen chigai ga wakarimasen.
Honestly, I can't tell the difference at all.
正直、全然違いが分かりません。
The verb chigau does much of this work too: nani ga chigau no? (what's the difference?). In the positive it praises a discerning palate: chigai ga wakaru hito (someone who can tell good from ordinary).
Same verb: aji (aji ga wakaru: have a palate), yosa (yosa ga wakaru: see what's good about it)Learn alongside: imi ga wakaru, kimochi ga wakaruMain list: wakaru (Stage 2), chigau (Stage 3), wakannai (Stage 2), onaji (Stage 4), zenzen (Stage 4), shoujiki (Stage 4)