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Chinese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "understand" in Chinese?
明白
míng bái
In Chinese, "understand" is 明白 (míng bái).
Listen to the pronunciation:
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Pronunciation
míng bái comes out with "míng" pushed upward like a question (second tone), then "bái" pushed upward like a question (second tone).
Writing and usage
明白 is written using hanzi. It's a verb, part of the vocabulary taught in the Noun Town language learning game.
Example sentence
我现在明白了这个教训。
wǒ xiàn zài míng bái le zhè ge jiào xùn 。
I understand the lesson now.
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How to remember 明白
"míng bái" sounds a little like "meeng beye" in English, so picture understand to lock in the connection.
Related words
Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.
Questions about 明白
How do you pronounce 明白?
míng bái comes out with "míng" pushed upward like a question (second tone), then "bái" pushed upward like a question (second tone).
Is 明白 formal or casual?
明白 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.
How is 明白 used in Chinese?
明白 is used the same way as the equivalent English verb. For example: 我现在明白了这个教训。 (I understand the lesson now.).
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.
"Understand" in other languages
Curated by Callan 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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