What is the Kanji for "Know"?

If you are wondering what is the Japanese Kanji for "Know", you've come to the right place!

The Japanese Kanji for "Know" is "知".

This kanji has 2 readings:

Its kunyomi reading is "Shi".

Its onyomi reading is "Chi".

kunyomi readings are based on the pronunciation of native Japanese words, and onyomi readings are based on the Chinese pronunciation of the character.

If you visually breakdown this kanji, you can see is made up of 2 parts:

The kanji "矢" means "Arrow" and can be read as "Ya" and "Shi". And The kanji "口" means "Mouth" and can be read as "Ku", "Kuchi", and "Kou".

Now, let's make sure you understand this kanji the other way around too.

What does the kanji "知" mean in japanese?

"知" means "Know".

Japanese School Students learn this kanji in Second Grade, while foreigners may learn this kanji in preparation for the JLPT N4 exam.

Here are some words that use this kanji:

知る: "Know". The Japanese verb '知る (しる)' means 'to know'. It is used to express understanding, awareness or familiarity with a fact, situation or piece of information. For example: I know the truth - (私は真実を知っている). He knows how to play the piano - (彼はピアノが弾けることを知っている).

知れる: "Know". The Japanese verb '知れる (しれる)' means 'to know'. This verb is used to express the acquisition or discovery of knowledge or information. It can be used to describe gaining awareness about something, either through one's own experience or through being told. For example: I came to know about the event - (その出来事を知れた). The truth was known to everyone - (真実は皆に知れた).

知らせる: "Inform". The Japanese verb '知らせる (しらせる)' means 'to inform'. It is used to communicate information or notify someone about something. For example: I will inform them - (私は彼らに知らせるだろう). They informed us of the changes - (彼らは変更点を私たちに知らせた).

知識: "Knowledge". The noun '知識 (ちしき)' means 'knowledge'. This word refers to the facts, information, and skills that a person has acquired through experience or education. It can be used to describe someone's level of understanding or expertise in a particular subject. For example: He has a lot of knowledge about history - (彼は歴史に関する知識が豊富だ). I need to gain more knowledge about this topic - (この話題についてもっと知識を得る必要がある).

知恵: "Wisdom". The Japanese noun '知恵 (ちえ)' means 'wisdom'. It refers to the ability to make sound judgments, solve problems effectively, and have deep understanding. It is often associated with experience, intelligence, and good decision-making. For example: His wisdom helped him solve the problem - (彼の知恵がその問題を解決するのに役立った). Seeking wisdom from the elders - (長老から知恵を求める)

存知: "Knowledge". The noun '存知 (ぞんじ)' means 'knowledge'. It refers to the awareness or understanding of something. This word is often used in polite expressions to indicate that the speaker is aware of or knows about a particular matter. For example: I know about that - (あれのことは存じています). He knows about the situation - (彼はその事情を存じています).

知らせ: "Notice". The Japanese noun '知らせ (しらせ)' means 'notice'. It refers to an announcement, a piece of information, or a message that informs or alerts someone about something. It can be used in formal or informal contexts. For example: I received a notice about the meeting - (会議の知らせが来た). The teacher gave us a notice about the field trip - (先生が遠足の知らせをくれた).

知らず知らず: "Unknowingly" or "Unawares". The adverb '知らず知らず (しらずしらず)' means 'unknowingly' or 'unawares'. It describes an action or state that occurs without one's knowledge or awareness. This adverb implies that something happened or was done without the person's conscious realization or intent. For example: He unknowingly broke the vase - (知らず知らずのうちに彼はその花瓶を割ってしまった). I walked right past her unawares - (知らずしらずのうちにそばを通り過ぎてしまった).

知事: "Governor". The Japanese noun '知事 (ちじ)' refers to the elected head of a Japanese prefecture or state-level administrative division. Governors are responsible for managing and overseeing their local government and represent the interests of the prefecture. For example: The governor announced new measures - (知事は新しい対策を発表した). The prefectural governor visited the town - (知事が町を訪れた).

知り合い: "Acquaintance". The noun '知り合い (しりあい)' means 'acquaintance'. This refers to a person that one knows, but with whom they do not have a close relationship. An acquaintance is someone you are familiar with, but not a close friend or family member. For example: He is just an acquaintance - (彼は単なる知り合いです). I met a new acquaintance at the party - (パーティで新しい知り合いを作りました).

承知: "Understand". The verbal noun '承知 (しょうち)' means 'to understand'. It is used to indicate that one has comprehended or is aware of something. '承知しました' is a very common phrase used to acknowledge and confirm understanding of a request or statement. For example: I understand - (承知しました). She understood the instructions - (彼女は指示を承知した).

認知: "Recognition". The noun '認知 (にんち)' means 'recognition'. It refers to the mental process of identifying and understanding something through perception, awareness, and interpretation. '認知' is used to describe the conscious awareness and acknowledgment of something. For example: My hard work has received recognition - (私の努力が認知されている). The company's new product gained recognition in the market - (その会社の新製品が市場で認知された).

知人: "Acquaintance". The Japanese noun '知人 (ちじん)' means 'acquaintance'. This word refers to a person with whom one is acquainted, but not necessarily a close friend or family member. It indicates a more distant, casual relationship than a friend. For example: I met a new acquaintance at the party - (パーティーで新しい知人に会いました).

通知: "Notice". The verbal noun '通知 (つうち)' means 'notice'. It refers to an official or formal announcement, such as a notification or alert. '通知' is commonly used in contexts like receiving a notice from a company or a government agency. For example: I received a notice about my upcoming appointment - (予約の通知が来た). The teacher gave the students a notice about the upcoming field trip - (先生が遠足の通知を生徒たちにくれた).

無知: "Ignorance" or "Unawareness". The Japanese adjectival noun '無知 (むち)' refers to the state of lacking knowledge, information or awareness about something. It can be used to describe a person who is uninformed, unaware or lacks understanding about a particular topic. This word has a negative connotation and implies a lack of education or insight. For example: His ignorance of the subject was apparent - (彼の無知はあきらかだった). I was unaware of the new policy change - (その新しい方針の変更について無知だった).

知能: "Intelligence". The Japanese noun '知能 (ちのう)' means 'intelligence'. It refers to the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills. This word is often used to describe a person's cognitive abilities, such as their capacity for reasoning, problem-solving, and learning. For example: His intelligence is remarkable - (彼の知能は非常に優れている). She has high intelligence - (彼女は知能が高い).

物知り: "Knowledgeable". The noun '物知り (ものしり)' means 'knowledgeable'. This word describes someone who has a wide breadth of knowledge or is well-informed about many different topics. It conveys the idea of being intelligent, erudite, or highly educated. For example: He is a knowledgeable person - (彼は物知りの人である). She is very knowledgeable about history - (彼女は歴史に関してとても物知りである).

知り合う: "Know". The Japanese verb '知り合う (しりあう)' means 'to know' or 'to become acquainted with'. This verb is used to express the act of meeting someone for the first time and getting to know them. It implies developing a personal relationship or connection with another person. For example: I knew him for the first time last week - (先週、彼と知り合いました). They became acquainted at the party - (彼らはパーティーで知り合った).

知的: "Intellectual". The Japanese adjective '知的 (ちてき)' means 'intellectual'. This adjective describes something or someone that is characterized by intellect, wisdom, or deep understanding. It can be used to describe a person who is highly educated, thoughtful, or analytical. For example: She has an intellectual discussion - (彼女は知的な議論をする). The university offers an intellectual environment - (この大学は知的な環境を提供している).

知: "Knowledge". The noun '知 (ち)' means 'knowledge'. It refers to the familiarity, awareness or understanding of someone or something. This word is often used in compound words like '知識 (ちしき)' which means 'information' or '学ぶ (まなぶ)' which means 'to learn'. Example sentences: He has a lot of knowledge about history - (彼は歴史に関する知が豊富だ). I want to expand my knowledge - (私は知を広げたい).

知覚: "Perception". The Japanese noun '知覚 (ちかく)' means 'perception'. It refers to the process by which we become aware of and interpret information from the world around us through our senses, such as sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. It is a fundamental cognitive process that allows us to understand and interact with our environment. For example: My perception of the situation was different from yours - (私の状況の知覚はあなたと違っていた)。The conscious perception of light is called visual perception - (光の意識的な知覚は視覚と呼ばれる).

To make really sure you learn this Kanji, I've prepared an interactive lesson for you. You are going to learn the readings and meanings of this kanji.

But first, you need to know a little bit about Hiragana and Katakana.

Hiragana and katakana are japanese syllabaries, this means that each character represents a syllable.

This are the characters you need to know for this lesson:

The hiragana "ち" is read as "chi". And The hiragana "し" is read as "shi".

Heres a quick tutorial on how to use it. You'll be asked three type of questions: meaning, reading, and writing.

For meanings questions all you have to do is type the english meaning. If there is more than one meaning, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Reading questions you have to type the reading in romaji (roman letters, our normal alphabet) and it'll be automatically converted to hiragana if necessary. If there is more than one reading, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Writing questions some options will appear and all you have to do is select the correct ones.