知道
to know
HSK level
- Pinyin
- zhīdào
- Part of speech
- verb
- Level
- HSK 2
- Strokes
- 20
- Register
- neutral
- In episodes
- 13
Stroke order for 知道
知道 is written with 20 strokes (知: 8, 道: 12). The animation replays automatically.
What does 知道 mean?
知道 (zhīdào) is the everyday verb 'to know' — to know a fact, a piece of information, or that something is the case.
The crucial thing for English speakers is that Chinese splits the English word 'know' into two verbs: 知道 (to know information / facts) and 认识 (rènshi, to know / be acquainted with a person, place, or character). 我知道他 means 'I know about him / I know he exists'; 我认识他 means 'I know him personally.' The negative 不知道 ('I don't know') is one of the most useful sentences for any beginner.
Polite softeners often pair with 知道: 我不知道 + 啊/呀 ('oh, I don't know') sounds friendlier than the bare form. To ask 'do you know?'
Note: Universal everyday verb. The second syllable 道 is often pronounced as a neutral tone (zhīdao) in fast speech, though dictionaries may write zhīdào.
Character by character
Memory hook: 知 ('know') + 道 ('the way') = 'know the way' — to know how things are.
Hear 知道 in real episodes
知道 appears in 13 Fluentide podcast episodes at natural native speed, 4 of them below. Each sentence plays at the easiest difficulty it exists in — switch it to hear the same moment at your level, with full pinyin and English throughout.
你不能看见，你也不知道。
You can't see them, and you don't know.
Francis Halzen Wins the Physics Nobel for Turning a Cubic Kilometer of Antarctic Ice Into a Telescope for Ghost Particles
研究，是一直看、一直想，想知道一个东西是什么。
To research means to keep looking and keep thinking, wanting to know what something is.
A Russian Lab Worker Died After a Test Tube Broke at a Plague Institute. Russia Says It Wasn't Plague, but Quarantined 200 People.
飞机上，有一个东西，很多人不知道。
On a plane, there's something most people don't know about.
A FlyDubai Co-Pilot Attacked His Captain With the Cockpit's Own Axe. Passengers Broke In and Saved the Plane.
你看钟，就知道现在几点了。
You look at the clock, and you know what time it is.
Jun Ye's Atomic Clock Won't Lose a Second in 15 Billion Years. Now He Has Won the Wolf Prize, Often a Step Before the Nobel.
Example sentences
我知道他是中国人。
Wǒ zhīdào tā shì Zhōngguó rén.
I know he's Chinese.
neutral
对不起，我不知道。
Duìbuqǐ, wǒ bù zhīdào.
Sorry, I don't know.
spoken
你知道他在哪儿吗？
Nǐ zhīdào tā zài nǎr ma?
Do you know where he is?
spoken
知道了，谢谢。
Zhīdào le, xièxie.
Got it, thanks.
spoken
妈妈知道我喜欢吃苹果。
Māma zhīdào wǒ xǐhuan chī píngguǒ.
Mom knows I like eating apples.
neutral
Common phrases with 知道
Synonyms
认识 means 'to know / be acquainted with' a person, place, or written character. 我认识他 = 'I've met him.' 我知道他 = 'I know of him.' Don't say 我知道李明 if you've actually met Li Ming — say 我认识李明.
Don't confuse 知道 with
Frequently asked questions
Related words from the same episodes
Acquire it by listening
Meet 知道 again — in real Chinese, at your level.
You just saw 知道 in 13 episodes. Fluentide keeps feeding you news episodes at your level, so this word — and thousands like it — resurface in real sentences until they stick. Full pinyin and translation every time. Free to start.