to forget
HSK level
忘记 is written with 12 strokes (忘: 7, 记: 5). The animation replays automatically.
忘记 (wàngjì) is the standard verb for 'to forget' — losing memory of something or failing to do something you intended.
Use it for both losing factual knowledge (我忘记她的名字 'I forgot her name') and forgetting to do an action (我忘记关门了 'I forgot to close the door'). The single character 忘 alone is equally common in speech — 我忘了 ('I forgot') is the most natural casual form, while 忘记 sounds slightly fuller and more deliberate. The pattern '忘记 + 了' marks completed forgetting; '忘记 + 带 / 关 / 说' marks forgetting to do the action.
Cannot be used like English 'forget about it' (= 'never mind') — for that, say 算了 (suàn le). The opposite is 记得 ('to remember') or 想起 ('to recall').
Character by character
Memory hook: 忘 = 亡 (perish) over 心 (heart) → it perished from the heart. 记 = mark/record. 忘记 = to lose the recorded mark.
我忘记带钱包了。
Wǒ wàngjì dài qiánbāo le.
I forgot to bring my wallet.
spoken
你别忘记明天的会议。
Nǐ bié wàngjì míngtiān de huìyì.
Don't forget tomorrow's meeting.
neutral
他完全忘记了我的生日。
Tā wánquán wàngjì le wǒ de shēngrì.
He completely forgot my birthday.
neutral
我永远不会忘记那一天。
Wǒ yǒngyuǎn bú huì wàngjì nà yì tiān.
I will never forget that day.
written
Single-character 忘 is the most common spoken form (忘了 'forgot'). 忘记 is slightly heavier and more written. Meaning is identical.
遗忘 is the literary / written 'to forget,' often used for things or people slowly fading from memory. Don't use in casual speech; 忘记 covers daily use.
Looks similar (亡 component on top) but 忙 means 'busy.' 忘 is 亡 over 心; 忙 is 忄 (heart radical, left side) + 亡. Different layout, different meaning.
Same pinyin wàng but 望 means 'to gaze into the distance / hope.' Don't substitute — 我忘了 'I forgot' vs 我望了 (almost never used alone, would mean 'I gazed').
Acquire it by listening
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