知道
to know
HSK level
- Pinyin
- zhīdào
- Part of speech
- verb
- Level
- HSK 2
- Strokes
- 20
- Register
- neutral
- In episodes
- 10
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 10 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.
你知道吗？
Did you know?
Belgium's 'Aerobullet' Remco Evenepoel Won a Fourth Straight Time-Trial World Title — Then Finished 12th in the Road Race
你知道吗？
Did you know that?
The Real 'League of Their Own' Players Are in Their 90s — and Girls' Baseball Is Finally Booming
很多人不知道匹克球。
Many people don't know pickleball.
Pickleball Is Taking Off in China: 8 Million Regular Players and 1,000 Tournaments a YearBeginner
在中国，很多人都知道刘欢。
In China, lots of people know Liu Huan.
Liu Huan, Who Sang the 2008 Beijing Olympics Theme 'You and Me,' Dies at 63Beginner
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
FAQ
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 10 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.