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HSK 2

知道

to know

verbneutral8 episodes
知
zhī1st tone
道
dào4th tone

HSK level

1
2
3
4
5
6
Pinyin
zhīdào
Part of speech
verb
Level
HSK 2
Strokes
20
Register
neutral
In episodes
8

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

知zhīto know; knowledge
+
道dàoway; path; the Way (Dao)
=
知道

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 8 Fluentide podcast episodes at natural native speed — each with the full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.

Two Pygmy Goats Boarded a Portland City Bus. Some Passengers Never Looked Up From Their Phones.知道 spoken at natural speedbeginnerGoogle Told Millions That Sam Altman Was Dead. It Came From a Wikipedia Edit That Stood for 41 Minutes.知道 spoken at natural speedbeginnerHe Took Steroids, Drank 24 a Day and Never Trained Once. At His First Bodybuilding Contest, He Came Last.知道 spoken at natural speedbeginnerHe Took Steroids, Drank 24 a Day and Never Trained Once. At His First Bodybuilding Contest, He Came Last.知道 spoken at natural speedeasyA Radio Caroline Worker Played King Charles's Obituary 'Out of Curiosity', Then Ran. 16 Minutes of Silence Followed.知道 spoken at natural speedbeginnerHe Climbed 900 Metres of El Capitan in 2 Hours 55. He Died at 30.知道 spoken at natural speedbeginner
Browse the full episode library

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

我知道wǒ zhīdàoI know
不知道bù zhīdào(I) don't know
你知道吗nǐ zhīdào mado you know? / you know what?
知道了zhīdào legot it; understood (acknowledgment)
谁知道shéi zhīdàowho knows

Synonyms

认识rènshi

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.

了解liǎojiě

了解 means 'to understand deeply / be familiar with.' 我知道这件事 = 'I know about this'; 我了解这件事 = 'I understand the details of this.' 知道 is surface awareness; 了解 is depth.

明白míngbai

明白 means 'to understand / get it' — comprehension after explanation. 我知道 = 'I'm aware of that fact'; 我明白了 = 'oh, I get it now.'

Don't confuse 知道 with

认识rènshi

Use 认识 for people, places, characters you've met or recognize. Use 知道 for information and facts. Mixing them is the most common beginner error.

知识zhīshi

知识 is the noun 'knowledge.' 知道 is the verb 'to know.' 他有很多知识 = 'he has a lot of knowledge'; 他知道很多 = 'he knows a lot.'

FAQ

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Acquire it by listening

Meet 知道 again — in real Chinese, at your level.

You just saw 知道 in 8 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.