“I don’t know.” doesn’t always translate to “Shiranai.”

Here are some examples of conversations that illustrate this.

Sayuri: Shoorai doo suru no? <What are you going to do in the future?>

You: Ummm…(1. ) <Well, I don’t know.>

Midori: EFG kaisha wa doo narudeshoo ne. <What will happen to EFG company?>

You: Saa… (2. ) <Well, I don’t know.>

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shiru (negative: shiranai), to know

* To gain knowledge about something or someone through means such as experience or outside information. In most cases it is used in the forms ”shitteiru”(I know) or “shiranai” (I don’t know) to indicate that one has or lacks knowledge, acquaintance, or memory of something.*

Examples:

1. A: Tanaka-san no denwa bangoo o shitteimasuka. <Do you know Tanaka’s telephone number ?>

B: Iie, shirimasen. <No, I don’t.>

2. Watashiwa sono kinko no akekata o shitteiru. <I know how to open the safe.>

wakaru (negative: wakaranai), to know, to understand

* To comprehend the meaning, contents, etc. of something. Also, to know the outcome of something. When referring to knowledge or understanding gained from thought alone “wakaru” may be used, but “shiru” may not. Expression such as “ano sensei wa hanashi ga wakaru.” (That teacher is very understanding.) or “kare wa geijutsu ga wakaru.” (He is quite knowledgeable about art.) indicate a good understanding or detailed knowledge of something. “toshokan ni iku michi ga wakaru.” (I know the way to the library.) means that one can get to a destination without any confusion.

Examples:

1. Miraino koto wa , daremo wakaranai. (Nobody knows what will happen in the future.)

2. Shiken no kekka wa isshukango ni wakaru. (He will know the test result in a week.)

3. Toshokan ni iku michi ga wakarimasen. (I don’t know the way to the library.)

* Book of reference: Kodansha’s Effective Japanese Usage Dictionary

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The answer of 1. and 2.

1. wakaranai. 2. wakaranai.

Wakarimashitaka? : )

This entry was posted on 金曜日, 9月 21st, 2007 at 9:08 pm and is filed under Common Mistakes made by Learners of Japanese. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.