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Chinese vocabulary · Beginner

How do you say "i dont understand" in Chinese?

我不明白

wǒ bù míng bái

Phrase Hanzi

In Chinese, "i dont understand" is 我不明白 (wǒ bù míng bái).

Listen to the pronunciation:

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Pronunciation

To get wǒ bù míng bái right, aim for "wǒ" dipped low then curled back up (third tone), then "bù" snapped down sharply (fourth tone), then "míng" pushed upward like a question (second tone), then "bái" pushed upward like a question (second tone).

Writing and usage

我不明白 is written using hanzi. It's a phrase, part of the vocabulary taught in the Noun Town language learning game.

Example sentence

i dont understand

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How to remember 我不明白

Whisper "wǒ bù míng bái" to yourself while picturing i dont understand; the sound and the image will fuse after a few tries.

Related words

Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.

Questions about 我不明白

How do you pronounce 我不明白?

To get wǒ bù míng bái right, aim for "wǒ" dipped low then curled back up (third tone), then "bù" snapped down sharply (fourth tone), then "míng" pushed upward like a question (second tone), then "bái" pushed upward like a question (second tone).

Is 我不明白 formal or casual?

我不明白 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.

How is 我不明白 used in Chinese?

我不明白 is used the same way as the equivalent English phrase. For example: (i dont understand).

Where can I practice Chinese words for free?

You can play free Chinese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, no sign-up required. Every word in the Chinese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"I dont understand" in other languages

Curated by Jack Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Chinese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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