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HSK 2

懂

to understand

verbneutral
懂
dǒng3rd tone

HSK level

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

Stroke order for 懂

懂 is written with 15 strokes. The animation replays automatically.

What does 懂 mean?

懂 (dǒng) means 'to understand' — specifically, to comprehend the meaning of something (a language, an explanation, a person's behavior).

It differs from English 'understand' in two ways. First, 懂 emphasizes successful comprehension as a result, so it pairs naturally with 看 (kàn, 'read / look') and 听 (tīng, 'listen') as a verb complement: 看懂 ('read and understand'), 听懂 ('hear and understand'). Saying 我看了 ('I read it') tells you nothing about whether you understood; 我看懂了 ('I read and understood') confirms comprehension.

Second, 懂 is used independently — 我懂 ('I get it / I understand') — much more casually than 明白 (míngbai, also 'to understand'), which feels slightly more emphatic ('it's clear to me'). 懂 also covers 'to know how to' for skills and people: 他很懂中国文化 ('he really understands Chinese culture').

Example sentences

你懂吗？

Nǐ dǒng ma?

Do you understand?

spoken

对不起，我不懂中文。

Duìbuqǐ, wǒ bù dǒng Zhōngwén.

Sorry, I don't understand Chinese.

spoken

老师说的我都听懂了。

Lǎoshī shuō de wǒ dōu tīng dǒng le.

I understood everything the teacher said.

neutral

这本书太难了，我看不懂。

Zhè běn shū tài nán le, wǒ kàn bu dǒng.

This book is too hard — I can't understand it.

spoken

他很懂音乐。

Tā hěn dǒng yīnyuè.

He really knows / understands music.

neutral

Common phrases with 懂

听懂tīng dǒngto hear and understand
看懂kàn dǒngto read and understand
懂了dǒng legot it; understood
不懂bù dǒngdon't understand
懂事dǒngshìto be sensible; well-behaved (of a child)

Synonyms

明白míngbai

明白 means 'to understand / be clear about,' often emphasizing newly grasped clarity ('now I see'). Use 明白 after an explanation; use 懂 for ongoing comprehension of language or content. 我明白了 = 'now I get it'; 我懂中文 = 'I understand Chinese.'

了解liǎojiě

了解 means 'to know about / to be familiar with' — broader knowledge of a topic, person, or situation. 我了解他 = 'I know him well (his character)'; 我懂他 = 'I understand him (his point/feelings).'

知道zhīdào

知道 means 'to know (a fact).' 知道 is information; 懂 is comprehension. 我知道他来了 ('I know he came') vs. 我懂他为什么来 ('I understand why he came').

Don't confuse 懂 with

动dòng

动 means 'to move.' Different character, different tone (fourth vs. third), totally different meaning. Beginners often confuse the pinyin.

明白míngbai

明白 is the close synonym, but it leans toward 'now-clear' and 懂 toward 'I get it / I have the skill to understand.' Treat them as overlapping but not identical.

FAQ

Acquire it by listening

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