Meaning of 知道
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to know; to become aware of
- also pr. [zhi1dao5]
How to use 知道
知道 is the everyday word for knowing a fact or being aware of something, and it often takes a clause as its object. In speech the second syllable is usually said in the neutral tone, zhīdao. Example: 我不知道他在哪儿。(Wǒ bù zhīdào tā zài nǎr.) I don't know where he is.
知 (zhī) means to know, and 道 (dào) means the way or path. When you 知道 something, you know the way, so you know what is going on.
Common mistake: Learners often use 知道 for knowing a person, but for people you usually say 认识 (rènshi), as in 我认识他 (Wǒ rènshi tā) I know him. Also, 知道 means knowing a fact, not knowing how to do a skill, which is 会 (huì).
知道 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.
知 zhī · to know · 8 strokes
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道 dào · road · 12 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 知道.
| 知识 | zhīshi | knowledge; intellectual |
| 通知 | tōngzhī | to notify; to inform |
| 味道 | wèidào | flavor; taste; (fig.) feeling (of ...); sense (of ...); hint (of ...) |
| 道理 | dàolǐ | reason; argument |
| 道路 | dàolù | road; path |
| 难道 | nándào | don't tell me ...; could it be that...? |
| 报道 | bàodào | to report (news); report |
| 街道 | jiēdào | street; subdistrict |
| 通知书 | tōngzhīshū | written notice |
| 道德 | dàodé | virtue; morality |
| 频道 | píndào | frequency; (television) channel |
| 道歉 | dàoqiàn | to apologize |
Questions about 知道
What does 知道 mean?
知道 (zhīdào) means "to know; to become aware of; also pr. [zhi1dao5]" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 知道?
知道 is made of 2 characters: 知 (8 strokes), 道 (12 strokes). That is 20 strokes in total.
Is 知道 an HSK word?
Yes. 知道 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do you say 'I know' and 'I don't know' with 知道?
Say 我知道 (wǒ zhīdào) for 'I know' and 我不知道 (wǒ bù zhīdào) for 'I don't know'. To ask 'Do you know?', say 你知道吗? (nǐ zhīdào ma?) or 你知不知道? (nǐ zhī bu zhīdào?).
What does 知道了 mean?
知道了 (zhīdào le) means 'got it' or 'understood'. People say it to show they have received information or an instruction. Said in a flat tone it can sound a bit impatient, so context matters.