This article will give you all of the knowledge you need on the Japanese word wakarimasen, including its Japanese definition and translation, example sentences, related expressions and more!
What does wakarimasen mean?
Depending on the context, wakarimasen (分かりません、わかりません) means I don’t know or I don’t understand. It is the polite negative form of the verb wakaru (分かる、わかる), which means to understand.
The term wakarimasen has a special place in my heart because it was one of the first Japanese terms I learned in my very first lesson way back in 2005 (I used the audio course Pimsleur Japanese, which I talk about here).
You will certainly encounter wakarimasen quite often in everyday Japanese so let’s look at some examples of how to use it.
Wakarimasen = I don’t know OR I don’t understand
To make it easier for you, I have written each sentence in full Japanese kanji in the first line, followed by roman letters (romaji), and hiragana, with the English meaning coming last.
すみません。英語が分かりません。
Sumimasen. Eigo ga wakarimasen.
すみません。えいごがわかりません。
I’m sorry. I don’t understand English.
彼がどこにいるか分かりません。
Kare ga doko ni iru ka wakarimasen.
かれがどこにいるかわかりません。
I don’t know where he is.
私は意味が分かりません。
Watashi wa imi ga wakarimasen.
わたしはいみがわかりません。
I don’t understand what it means.
なんで怖かったかよく分かりません。
Nande kowakatta ka yoku wakarimasen.
なんでこわかったかよくわかりません。
I don’t really know why I was scared.
Wakarimasen or wakaranai?
You may have also heard the term wakaranai (分からない、わからない) used by Japanese speakers. So what’s the difference between wakarimasen and wakaranai? Simply put, the meaning is the same but wakarimasen is more polite.
Below, we will use the same examples as before but with wakaranai instead. As you can see, the meaning stays the same.
すみません。英語が分からない。
Sumimasen. Eigo ga wakaranai.
すみません。えいごがわからない。
I’m sorry. I don’t understand English.
彼がどこにいるか分からない。
Kare ga doko ni iru ka wakaranai.
かれがどこにいるかわからない。
I don’t know where he is.
私は意味が分からない。
Watashi wa imi ga wakaranai.
わたしはいみがわからない。
I don’t understand what it means.
なんで怖かったかよく分からない。
Nande kowakatta ka yoku wakaranai.
なんでこわかったかよくわからない。
I don’t really know why I was scared.
Wakarimasen, or I understand, is the -masu form of wakaru, which denotes some respect or politeness to the other person (note while it’s polite it’s not as formal as keigo, Japanese’s honorific language!). Wakarimasen is therefore simply the negative form of wakarimasen .
Wakaranai is the casual form of wakaru. You would normally use this with friends or family, but Japanese bosses, for example, also use it with subordinates (unlike more egalitarian languages like English, Japanese does not necessitate polite language towards people with lower status).
Rohan's favorite resource for learning Japanese is JapanesePod101, one of the best tools for getting started with the language. Sign up for a free lifetime account here.
- Discover the Best Things to Do near to Tokyo station: A Guide to Tokyo’s bustling center - January 15, 2023
- Maximize your JAL Mileage Bank (JMB) Miles: A Complete Guide on Earning, Redeeming, and Hacks - January 15, 2023
- Discover the Best Things to Do in Harajuku: A Guide to Tokyo’s Trendiest Neighborhood - January 15, 2023
