Free Japanese Quiz for Beginners
“Shiri-masu” and “Wakari-masu” both seem similar, but they have distinct meanings in Japanese. One is about getting information, and the other is about understanding the logic or content. Let’s look at the difference and practice with the audio!
“しります” and “わかります” have similar meanings, but their usage is a bit different. Let’s discover the differences together!
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.
kanojo [ga] kekkon suru-koto [o] shitte-imasuka?
( Do you know she is getting married? )
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.
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“.
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.
watashi [wa] kanji [ga] wakari-masu.
( I understand Kanji. )
- The negative expression is “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“.
kare [no] kimochi [ga] wakari-masen.
( I don’t know his feeling. )
I hope this lesson helps your Japanese journey! If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below. ▷