了 le — (modal particle intensifying preceding clause); (completed action marker); to know; to understand; to know; clear
我吃完饭了。Wǒ chī wán fàn le.I have finished eating.
Common words: 为了 (wèi le)、了解 (liǎo jiě)、极了 (jí le)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to know"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to know", including 了 (le), 了 (le), 知 (zhī), 认 (rèn), 识 (shí / zhì), 懂 (dǒng). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to know" covers 7 different Chinese characters — 了 (le), 了 (le), 知 (zhī), 认 (rèn), 识 (shí / zhì), 懂 (dǒng), 晓 (xiǎo) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 7 characters do not share a sound — their readings span le, zhī, rèn, shí, zhì, dǒng, and more — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 了 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 了 le(modal particle intensifying preceding clause); (completed action marker); to know; to understand; to know; clearUseful words: 为了, 了解
- 了 le(modal particle intensifying preceding clause); (completed action marker); to know; to understand; to know; clearUseful words: 为了, 了解
- 知 zhīto know; to be awareUseful words: 知道, 知识
- 认 rènto recognize; to know; to admitUseful words: 认识, 认真
- 识 shí / zhìto know; knowledge; to record; write a footnoteUseful words: 认识, 知识
Common words for these 7 "to know" characters
Anchor each of these 7 characters in a word you can picture — start with 了 (le) — so "to know" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
为了wèi lefor; for the purpose of; in order to了解liǎo jiěto understand; to realize; to find out极了jí leextremely; exceedingly为了wèi lefor; for the purpose of; in order to了解liǎo jiěto understand; to realize; to find out极了jí leextremely; exceedingly知道zhī dàoto know; to become aware of知识zhī shiknowledge; intellectual通知tōng zhīto notify; to inform; notice; notification认识rèn shito know; to recognize; to be familiar with; to get acquainted with sb
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 7 ways to say "to know".
了 le — (modal particle intensifying preceding clause); (completed action marker); to know; to understand; to know; clear
我吃完饭了。Wǒ chī wán fàn le.I have finished eating.
Common words: 为了 (wèi le)、了解 (liǎo jiě)、极了 (jí le)
知 zhī — to know; to be aware
我不知道他的名字。Wǒ bù zhī dào tā de míng zi.I do not know his name.
Common words: 知道 (zhī dào)、知识 (zhī shi)、通知 (tōng zhī)
认 rèn — to recognize; to know; to admit
我认识他很多年了。Wǒ rèn shi tā hěn duō nián le.I have known him for many years.
Common words: 认识 (rèn shi)、认真 (rèn zhēn)、认为 (rèn wéi)
识 shí / zhì — to know; knowledge; to record; write a footnote
我认识这个字，但不知道怎么读。Wǒ rèn shi zhè ge zì, dàn bù zhī dào zěn me dú.I recognize this character, but I do not know how to read it.
Common words: 认识 (rèn shi)、知识 (zhī shi)、常识 (cháng shí)
懂 dǒng — to understand; to know
老师讲的内容我都听懂了。Lǎo shī jiǎng de nèi róng wǒ dōu tīng dǒng le.I understood everything the teacher explained.
Common words: 懂得 (dǒng de)、懂事 (dǒng shì)、懂行 (dǒng háng)
晓 xiǎo — dawn; to know; to tell (sb sth); dawn
这个道理大家都晓得。Zhè ge dào lǐ dà jiā dōu xiǎo de.Everyone knows this principle.
Common words: 晓得 (xiǎo de)、家喻户晓 (jiā yù hù xiǎo)、揭晓 (jiē xiǎo)
All 7 characters
Open 了、了、知 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.