わかる
Japanese[edit]
Etymology 1[edit]
| Alternative spellings |
|---|
| 分かる 解る 判る 分る (dated) |
From Old Japanese. Derived as the passive or intransitive conjugation of Old Japanese root verb 分く (waku, “to separate, to break into pieces; to be separable or distinguishable”). Compare transitive 分ける (wakeru).
As the passive or spontaneous conjugation of waku, the verb wakaru could be translated more directly as something like "it comes apart [for me / he / she / etc.]", roughly analogous to English "I can see how it comes apart" → "I can see how it is put together".
Pronunciation[edit]
Verb[edit]
わかる • (wakaru) intransitive godan (stem わかり (wakari), past わかった (wakatta))
- 分かる, 解る: to be understandable, to understand
- はい、分かりました。
- Hai, wakarimashita.
- Yes. I understood.
- はい、分かりました。
- 分かる: to tell (one thing from another), to distinguish
- 分かる, 判る: to be recognized, to be realized
- 2011, Barack Obama, 中東と北アフリカに関するバラク・オバマの演説, translation of "Remarks by the President on the Middle East and North Africa":
- これがどれほど困難であるかは判っている。
- Kore ga dore hodo konnan de aru ka wa wakatte iru.
- I recognize how hard this will be.
- これがどれほど困難であるかは判っている。
- 2011, Barack Obama, 中東と北アフリカに関するバラク・オバマの演説, translation of "Remarks by the President on the Middle East and North Africa":
- 分かる: to become known, to turn out
- 分かった！
- Wakatta!
- I've got it! / I know!
- 分かった！
Usage notes[edit]
In recent usage, this term may be more commonly spelt in hiragana.
The Japanese verb wakaru is most often glossed as to understand. However, wakaru is intransitive, and it takes the thing that is understood, distinguished, or recognized as the subject (usually marked by particle が (ga)), and not the object (usually marked by particle を (o)). Strictly speaking, wakaru is thus closer to English to be understandable, as the verb wakaru describes the thing itself, unlike English to understand, which describes the action of the person doing the understanding, distinguishing, or recognizing.
Despite the above, the form with を and transitive usage also exists, although this may be proscribed, and is not reflected in some dictionaries.
Wakaru can take an agent (what would be the subject of the English verb to understand) marked by the particle に (ni) or a topic marker.
- *私が分かる (incorrect, ❌)
- 私に分かる (correct, ✔)
- 複雑でも、（私に）この事情が分かる。
- Fukuzatsu de mo, (watashi ni) kono jijō ga wakaru.
- Although it's complicated, this situation is understandable (to me).
Compare the difference in usage of transitive verb 知る (shiru, “to know”).
Conjugation[edit]
| Katsuyōkei ("stem forms") | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Mizenkei ("imperfective") | わから | wakara | |
| Ren’yōkei ("continuative") | わかり | wakari | |
| Shūshikei ("terminal") | わかる | wakaru | |
| Rentaikei ("attributive") | わかる | wakaru | |
| Kateikei ("hypothetical") | わかれ | wakare | |
| Meireikei ("imperative") | わかれ | wakare | |
| Key constructions | |||
| Passive | わかられる | wakarareru | |
| Causative | わからせる わからす |
wakaraseru wakarasu | |
| Potential | わかれる | wakareru | |
| Volitional | わかろう | wakarō | |
| Negative | わからない | wakaranai | |
| Negative continuative | わからず | wakarazu | |
| Formal | わかります | wakarimasu | |
| Perfective | わかった | wakatta | |
| Conjunctive | わかって | wakatte | |
| Hypothetical conditional | わかれば | wakareba | |
| Stem forms | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Irrealis (未然形) | わから | wakara | |
| Continuative (連用形) | わかり | wakari | |
| Terminal (終止形) | わかる | wakaru | |
| Attributive (連体形) | わかる | wakaru | |
| Realis (已然形) | わかれ | wakare | |
| Imperative (命令形) | わかれ | wakare | |
| Key constructions | |||
| Negative | わからず | wakarazu | |
| Contrasting conjunction | わかれど | wakaredo | |
| Causal conjunction | わかれば | wakareba | |
| Conditional conjunction | わからば | wakaraba | |
| Past tense (firsthand knowledge) | わかりき | wakariki | |
| Past tense (secondhand knowledge) | わかりけり | wakarikeri | |
| Perfect tense (conscious action) | わかりつ | wakaritu | |
| Perfect tense (natural event) | わかりぬ | wakarinu | |
| Perfect-continuative tense | わかれり わかりたり |
wakareri wakaritari | |
| Volitional | わからむ | wakaramu | |
Derived terms[edit]
- 分からず屋 (wakarazuya)
- 分かり切る (wakarikiru): to be completely clear by common knowledge
- 相分かる (aiwakaru)
Related terms[edit]
Etymology 2[edit]
| Alternative spellings |
|---|
| 分かる 別る 分る (dated) |
Pronunciation[edit]
Verb[edit]
- Classical Japanese form of わかれる (wakareru): to split, to fork, to branch off
Conjugation[edit]
| Stem forms | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Irrealis (未然形) | わかれ | wakare | |
| Continuative (連用形) | わかれ | wakare | |
| Terminal (終止形) | わかる | wakaru | |
| Attributive (連体形) | わかるる | wakaruru | |
| Realis (已然形) | わかるれ | wakarure | |
| Imperative (命令形) | わかれよ | wakareyo | |
| Key constructions | |||
| Negative | わかれず | wakarezu | |
| Contrasting conjunction | わかるれど | wakaruredo | |
| Causal conjunction | わかるれば | wakarureba | |
| Conditional conjunction | わかれば | wakareba | |
| Past tense (firsthand knowledge) | わかれき | wakareki | |
| Past tense (secondhand knowledge) | わかれけり | wakarekeri | |
| Perfect tense (conscious action) | わかれつ | wakaretu | |
| Perfect tense (natural event) | わかれぬ | wakarenu | |
| Perfect-continuative tense | わかれたり | wakaretari | |
| Volitional | わかれむ | wakaremu | |
Derived terms[edit]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK Publishing, →ISBN
- ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN