(zhī dào) - to know (a fact) in Mandarin

zhīdào

Traditional: 知道

HSK 1

#18 of 5,000 Core 1000

Translation

to know (a fact)

Word origin

知道 (zhīdào) 'to know' joins 知 (zhī, 'to know') and 道 (dào, 'way, the Way'). 知 combines 矢 (shǐ, 'arrow') and 口 (kǒu, 'mouth'), words swift as an arrow, hence 'to know'; 道 has the 辶 walk radical with 首 (shǒu, 'head'), a path.

Origin: compound
Root: 知 (zhī, 矢 arrow + 口 mouth) + 道 (dào, 辶 walk + 首 head)

Stroke order

知

道

Examples

。

I don't know.

？

Do you know his name?

。

She knows the answer.

。

I want to know the truth of the matter.

。

No one knows where he went.

知道 (zhīdào) means to know a fact or piece of information, as opposed to knowing a person.

Where this fits

The 1,000 most common Mandarin words

Where this word sits in the core vocabulary, and what to learn around it.

Mandarin vocabulary by HSK level

How many words each level actually needs, with real counts.

Mandarin learning guides

Podcasts, pronunciation traps and the things a word list cannot teach.

Used in

Grammar articles

(17)

Add to review queue

Track this word in your spaced-repetition queue and be tested on it at the right interval.

Go to my review queue

Mandarin · Free printables

知道: worksheet, infographic and listicle

Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "知道" (to know (a fact)): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.

Free for members

The printable worksheets, infographics and PDFs are free with an account. Start a free week and download as many as you like.

Start your free week

This word is part of lesson 1.