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HSK 3

了解

to understand; to know about

verbneutral
了
liǎo3rd tone
解
jiě3rd tone

HSK level

1
2
3
4
5
6
Pinyin
liǎojiě
Part of speech
verb
Level
HSK 3
Strokes
15
Register
neutral

Stroke order for 了解

了解 is written with 15 strokes (了: 2, 解: 13). The animation replays automatically.

What does 了解 mean?

了解 (liǎojiě) means 'to understand' or 'to know about' in the sense of being familiar with someone or something through experience and information — deeper than just having heard of it.

我了解他 means 'I know him well / I understand who he is,' not just 'I've met him.' 了解情况 ('know the situation') is a common phrase when gathering background information. The key contrast for English speakers is with 知道 (zhīdào) and 懂 (dǒng): 知道 is to KNOW a fact (我知道他叫王明 = 'I know his name is Wang Ming'); 懂 is to COMPREHEND in the moment (你懂我的意思吗? = 'do you get my meaning?'

); 了解 is to BE FAMILIAR with through accumulated knowledge. Note 了 is pronounced liǎo here, not the sentence-final particle 'le.' Common patterns: 了解一下 ('look into / get some background'), 不了解 ('not familiar with / don't really know').

Character by character

了liǎoto understand fully; complete (read as liǎo here, not the particle le)
+
解jiěto untie; explain; understand
=
了解

Memory hook: 了 (complete) + 解 (untangle) — fully untangle something in your mind = understand it deeply.

Example sentences

我很了解他。

Wǒ hěn liǎojiě tā.

I know him well.

neutral

我想了解一下中国文化。

Wǒ xiǎng liǎojiě yíxià Zhōngguó wénhuà.

I want to learn a bit about Chinese culture.

neutral

对不起，我不太了解这件事。

Duìbuqǐ, wǒ bú tài liǎojiě zhè jiàn shì.

Sorry, I'm not really familiar with this matter.

polite

我们认识三年了，互相很了解。

Wǒmen rènshi sān nián le, hùxiāng hěn liǎojiě.

We've known each other for three years and understand each other well.

neutral

Common phrases with 了解

了解情况liǎojiě qíngkuàngunderstand the situation
了解一下liǎojiě yíxiàlook into; get some background
不了解bù liǎojiěnot familiar with; don't know
互相了解hùxiāng liǎojiěget to know each other
想了解xiǎng liǎojiěwant to learn about

Synonyms

知道zhīdào

知道 = know a fact (the answer, a name, that something happened). 了解 = be familiar with a person, topic, or situation in depth. 我知道他 means 'I'm aware of him'; 我了解他 means 'I really know him.'

懂dǒng

懂 is to comprehend in the moment — understand a sentence, a joke, a concept. 了解 is accumulated familiarity. 你懂吗? = 'Got it?'; 你了解吗? = 'Are you familiar with this?'

明白míngbai

明白 means 'be clear / get it' — emphasizes clarity after explanation. 了解 emphasizes depth of background knowledge over time.

Don't confuse 了解 with

理解lǐjiě

理解 means 'understand / comprehend' in a logical or emotional sense — grasping a concept or empathizing with a feeling. 了解 is more about knowing facts and background. You 理解 someone's feelings; you 了解 someone's situation.

了le

Same character 了 is usually the sentence-final particle 'le' (neutral tone). In 了解 it is read 'liǎo' with third tone and means 'complete / understand.' Read 了解 as 'liǎojiě,' never 'lejiě.'

FAQ

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