Knowing and learning

Stage 2General verbsChunk 15 of 28 · items 178–182 of 484

Verbs for what you know: understand, know, remember, forget, and study — the ones a learner uses about themselves in every exchange.

Mix-ups

wakaranai = I can't understand or work it out, shiranai = I have no information — but when you just can't answer a question (a stranger asks the way), wakarimasen / wakannai is the soft default and shirimasen sounds curt. 'Remember' is oboeteru, not shitteru; both live in the -teru form. oboeru is fixing a fact in memory and benkyou suru is putting in study time (tango oboeta / nihongo benkyou shiteru).

wakaru

polite wakarimasudrama rank #213

understand; know; get it

分かる わかるPlay 分かりますPlay

Understanding or being able to tell (wakaru?, wakaranai), with the thing understood marked by ga, and wakatta doubles as 'got it / OK'.

casualPlay

kono kotoba wakaru?

Do you understand this word?

この言葉分かる？

politePlay

kono kotoba wa wakarimasu ka?

Do you understand this word?

この言葉は分かりますか？

wakatteru = 'I know already', which can sound irritated.

Learn alongside: shitteru

shitteru

polite shittemasudrama rank #74

know (be aware of)

知ってる しってるPlay 知ってますPlay

Having a piece of information or knowing a person or place, where the positive is always shitteru and the negative always shiranai (never *shittenai).

casualPlay

kono kotoba shitteru?

Do you know this word?

この言葉知ってる？

politePlay

kono kotoba wa shittemasu ka?

Do you know this word?

この言葉は知ってますか？

Polite shirimasen can sound like 'not my business'; wakarimasen is the safe polite 'I don't know'.

Learn alongside: wakaruLearn first: -teru

oboeru

polite oboemasudrama rank #255

remember; memorise

覚える おぼえるPlay 覚えますPlay

Getting something into memory (oboeru) and still having it (oboeteru / oboetenai), so 'do you remember?' is always oboeteru?

casualPlay

ano hito no namae oboeteru?

Do you remember that person's name?

あの人の名前覚えてる？

politePlay

ano hito no namae o oboetemasu ka?

Do you remember that person's name?

あの人の名前を覚えてますか？

Bare oboeru means 'memorise'; remembering now is oboeteru, and 'oh, now I remember!' is omoidashita, not oboeta.

Learn first: -teru

wasureru

polite wasuremasudrama rank #201

forget; leave behind

忘れる わすれるPlay 忘れますPlay

Forgetting names, facts and plans and leaving things behind, mostly as wasureta / wasurechatta, plus the reminder wasurenaide ne (don't forget) and a, wasureteta (oh, I'd forgotten).

casualPlay

ano hito no namae wasureta.

I forgot that person's name.

あの人の名前忘れた。

politePlay

ano hito no namae o wasuremashita.

I've forgotten that person's name.

あの人の名前を忘れました。

Leaving an item behind is also wasureru: kasa wasureta.

benkyou suru

polite benkyou shimasudrama rank #729*

study

勉強する べんきょうするPlay 勉強しますPlay

Says you study something, with o often dropped in casual speech (nihongo benkyou shiteru); benkyou ni naru (that's good to know) is the stock reply to an explanation.

casualPlay

nihongo benkyou shiteru n da.

I'm studying Japanese.

日本語勉強してるんだ。

politePlay

nihongo o benkyou shiteru n desu.

I'm studying Japanese.

日本語を勉強してるんです。

benkyou ni narimashita thanks someone for teaching you something.

Learn first: suru, -teru