知道
to know
HSK level
- Pinyin
- zhīdào
- Part of speech
- verb
- Level
- HSK 2
- Strokes
- 20
- Register
- neutral
- In episodes
- 11
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 11 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.
你想知道，你的身体会怎么样。
You want to know how your body will be.
Must You Walk 10,000 Steps? Research Finds Benefits Around 7,000
很多人知道了他的名字。
Many people learned his name.
A Runner Trains on a Gym Treadmill and Wins His First Marathon
他说，他们不知道为什么会这样。
He said they do not know why this happened.
A Senator Pays a Bakery Bill After Six Years and a Viral Post
他想知道一些数学问题的答案。
He wants to know the answer to some maths problems.
Former NFL Player Proves a Maths Conjecture
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 11 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.