“しります” and “わかります” have similar meaning. How are they different?
しります
このひとを しっていますか？
kono hito [o] shitte-imasuka?
( Do you know this person? )
meaning : As a result of getting the information, you know about something.
| かのじょが けっこん することを しっていますか？ kanojo [ga] kekkon suru-koto [o] shitte-imasuka? ( Do you know she is getting married? ) |
| すずきさんの メールアドレスを しっています。 suzuki-san [no] mēruadoresu [o] shitte-imasu. ( I know Ms.Suzuki’s mail address. ) |
The negative form is “しりません”. Please be careful that “しっていません” is not proper.
| わたしは このひとを しりません。 watashi [wa] kono hito [o] shiri-masen. ( I don’t know this person. ) |
しります” is “transitive verb”, so it needs an “object” with a particle “を“.
| わたしは 10ねんまえから、たなかさんを しっています。 watashi [wa] jū-nen-mae [kara], tanaka-san [o] shitte-imasu. ( I know Mr.Tanaka for 10 years. ) |
わかります
これが だれか わかりますか？
kore [ga] dare-ka wakari-masuka?
( Do you know who this is? )
meaning : You know or realize something through learning or your experience. You understand a fact, an idea, a situation, or a meaning.
| わたしは かんじが わかります。 watashi [wa] kanji [ga] wakari-masu. ( I understand Kanji. ) |
The negative expression is “わかりません”.
| この ことばの いみが わかりません。 kono kotoba [no] imi [ga] wakari-masen. ( I don’t know a meaning of this word. ) |
“わかります” is “intransitive verb”, and an “object” is marked by a particle “が“.
| かれの きもちが わかりません。 kare [no] kimochi [ga] wakari-masen. ( I don’t know his feeling. ) |