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分かりません

A2 verb #500 más común 3 min de lectura

分かりません

wakarimasen Top 500

Practícalo Ejemplos

§ Understanding 分かりません (wakarimasen)

The Japanese phrase 分かりません (wakarimasen) directly translates to "I don't understand." It's a fundamental and very useful phrase for any Japanese learner. You'll use this a lot, especially when you're just starting out.

DEFINITION: I don't understand.

It's a polite and standard way to express a lack of comprehension. The verb is 分かる (wakaru), meaning "to understand." When you add the negative polite suffix -ません (-masen), it becomes 分かりません (wakarimasen).

§ Basic Usage

You can use 分かりません (wakarimasen) by itself as a complete sentence when someone asks you something and you don't understand. It's a quick and easy way to communicate your confusion.

すみません、分かりません。

Translation hint: Excuse me, I don't understand.

§ Specifying What You Don't Understand

You can also use a topic particle, often 「が」 (ga) or 「は」 (wa), to specify what you don't understand. While 「は」 (wa) can be used, 「が」 (ga) is more common when talking about not understanding a specific thing.

日本語が分かりません。

Translation hint: I don't understand Japanese.

その意味が分かりません。

Translation hint: I don't understand that meaning.

You'll often hear this in a learning context, or when encountering a new word or concept.

§ Asking for Clarification

If you don't understand something, you often want to ask for it to be repeated or explained differently. Here are some common ways to do that using 分かりません:

もう一度お願いします (Mou ichido onegaishimasu): One more time, please. (After saying 分かりません)
もっとゆっくり話してください (Motto yukkuri hanashite kudasai): Please speak more slowly. (Again, can follow 分かりません)
どういう意味ですか (Dō iu imi desu ka): What does that mean? (When you don't understand a specific word or phrase)

すみません、分かりません。もう一度お願いします。

Translation hint: Excuse me, I don't understand. One more time, please.

§ More Casual Forms (for later)

While 分かりません is polite and safe, there are more casual ways to say you don't understand. You'll learn these as you progress. For now, stick with 分かりません. Some examples include:

分からない (Wakaranai): This is the plain, casual negative form of 分かる. You'd use this with close friends or family.
わかんない (Wakan'nai): An even more casual, shortened version of 分からない.

Focus on mastering 分かりません first. It's universally understood and polite in almost any situation you'll encounter as a beginner.

§ Common Mistakes to Avoid

Using 「分かりません」 when you mean you don't know information: While similar, if you literally mean "I don't know (the answer/information)," a more appropriate phrase is 「知りません」 (shirimasen).

「分かりません」: I don't understand (the meaning, concept, etc.).

「知りません」: I don't know (a fact, where something is, etc.).

For example, if someone asks "田中さんの電話番号を知っていますか？" (Do you know Mr. Tanaka's phone number?), and you don't know it, you would say 「知りません。」 Using 「分かりません」 here would sound a bit strange, as if you don't understand the concept of a phone number.

§ Practice Tip

Next time you're listening to Japanese and hear something you don't get, try to mentally (or actually) say 「分かりません。」 It's the first step to asking for clarification and improving your understanding.

Guía de pronunciación

UK /wɑːkɑːriː mɑːsen/

US /wɑːkɑːriː mɑːsen/

short

Rima con

masen dasein passen

Errores comunes

pronouncing 'a' as in 'cat'
not extending the 'i' sound in 'masen' enough for clear pronunciation

Ejemplos por nivel

すみません、この言葉の意味が分かりません。

Excuse me, I don't understand the meaning of this word.

先生、今日の宿題が全然分かりません。

Teacher, I don't understand today's homework at all.

彼女が言っていることが分かりません。

I don't understand what she is saying.

この説明書は日本語で書かれているので、私には分かりません。

This manual is written in Japanese, so I don't understand it.

ごめんなさい、あなたの質問がよく分かりません。

I'm sorry, I don't quite understand your question.

この地図では道が込み入っていて、どこへ行けばいいのか分かりません。

The roads are complicated on this map, so I don't know where to go.

彼がなぜ怒っているのか、私には全然分かりません。

I totally don't understand why he is angry.

この数学の問題は難しすぎて、どう解けばいいのか分かりません。

This math problem is too difficult, so I don't know how to solve it.

先生、この文法の使い方がまだ分かりません。

Teacher, I still don't understand how to use this grammar.

Using 「まだ」 (mada) to indicate that the lack of understanding is ongoing.

すみません、あなたの言っていることがよく分かりません。

Excuse me, I don't quite understand what you are saying.

「よく」 (yoku) emphasizes 'quite' or 'well' in the negative sense, meaning not fully or clearly.

この問題の解決策が全く分かりません。

I have absolutely no idea what the solution to this problem is.

「全く」 (mattaku) strengthens the negation to 'absolutely not' or 'not at all'.

彼の話が複雑すぎて、どこから理解すればいいか分かりません。

His story is too complicated; I don't know where to begin to understand it.

Using 「どこから～すればいいか」 (doko kara ~ sureba ii ka) to express not knowing where to start an action.

この説明では、具体的な手順が分かりません。

With this explanation, I don't understand the specific steps.

「では」 (dewa) acts as 'with this' or 'in this case'.

なぜ彼がそんなことをしたのか、私には全く分かりません。

Why he did such a thing, I absolutely don't understand.

「私には」 (watashi ni wa) emphasizes that *I* don't understand.

会議の議題が変更されたそうですが、詳細がまだ分かりません。

I heard the meeting agenda was changed, but I still don't know the details.

「～そうですが」 (~sou desu ga) indicates 'I heard that..., but...'.

この新しいシステムの使い方について、いくつか分からない点があります。

Regarding how to use this new system, there are a few points I don't understand.

「いくつか分からない点があります」 (ikutsu ka wakaranai ten ga arimasu) means 'there are a few points that I don't understand'.

その複雑な理論は、何度聞いてもまだ分かりません。

No matter how many times I hear it, I still don't understand that complex theory.

「何度聞いても」means "no matter how many times I hear it." The phrase emphasizes a repeated action yielding the same result.

彼の話の真意がどこにあるのか、私には全く分かりません。

I truly don't understand what the true meaning of his story is.

「真意 (しんい)」means "true intention" or "real meaning." 「私には全く」emphasizes a complete lack of understanding from the speaker's perspective.

この抽象画のメッセージは、私のような素人には到底分かりませんね。

The message of this abstract painting is something an amateur like me definitely can't understand.

「抽象画 (ちゅうしょうが)」means "abstract painting." 「素人 (しろうと)」means "amateur" or "novice." 「到底 (とうてい) ... ない」is a strong negative expression, meaning "cannot possibly..."

なぜ彼がそのような極端な行動に出たのか、動機が全く分かりません。

I truly don't understand his motive for taking such extreme action.

「極端な行動 (きょくたんなこうどう)」means "extreme action." 「動機 (どうき)」means "motive." 「〜に出る」means "to take action" or "to embark on."

彼らの文化的な背景が異なるため、そのジョークがなぜ面白いのか分かりません。

Because their cultural backgrounds are different, I don't understand why that joke is funny.

「文化的背景 (ぶんかてきはいけい)」means "cultural background." 「〜が異なる」means "to be different."

この科学論文に書かれている専門用語が多すぎて、内容がほとんど分かりません。

There are too many technical terms written in this scientific paper, so I hardly understand the content.

「専門用語 (せんもんようご)」means "technical terms" or "jargon." 「〜が多すぎる」means "there are too many ~." 「ほとんど分かりません」means "I hardly understand."

彼女の複雑な感情の機微を、私には読み取ることができませんし、分かりません。

I can't read, nor do I understand, the subtle nuances of her complex emotions.

「感情の機微 (かんじょうのきび)」means "subtle nuances of emotion." 「読み取る (よみとる)」means "to read (between the lines)" or "to grasp."

この哲学的な問いに対する明確な答えは、私にはまだ見つからず、正直なところ分かりません。

I haven't found a clear answer to this philosophical question yet, and honestly, I don't understand.

「哲学的な問い (てつがくてきなとい)」means "philosophical question." 「明確な答え (めいかくのこたえ)」means "clear answer." 「正直なところ」means "to be honest" or "frankly speaking."