知る

Japanese

Kanji in this term
知
し Grade: 2
kun’yomi

Alternative spelling
識る

Etymology

From Old Japanese, from Proto-Japonic *siru.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) しる [shìrú] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [ɕiɾɯ̟ᵝ]

• Tokyo pitch accent of conjugated forms of "知る"

Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary
Stem forms
Terminal (終止形) Attributive (連体形)	知る	しる	[shìrú]
Imperative (命令形)	知れ	しれ	[shìré]
Key constructions
Passive	知られる	しられる	[shìrárérú]
Causative	知らせる	しらせる	[shìrásérú]
Potential	知れる	しれる	[shìrérú]
Volitional	知ろう	しろ​ー	[shìróꜜò]
Negative	知らない	しらない	[shìránáí]
Negative perfective	知らなかった	しらな​かった	[shìránáꜜkàttà]
Formal	知ります	しりま​す	[shìrímáꜜsù]
Perfective	知った	しった	[shìttá]
Conjunctive	知って	しって	[shìtté]
Hypothetical conditional	知れば	しれ​ば	[shìréꜜbà]

Verb

知(し)る • (shiru) transitive godan (stem 知(し)り (shiri), past 知(し)った (shitta))

Japanese verb pair
active	知る
mediopassive	知れる

1. to know, be aware of

   キムさんの電(でん)話(わ)番(ばん)号(ごう)を知(し)っていますか。

   Kimu-san no denwa bangō o shitte imasu ka.

   Do you know Kim's telephone number?

   すみません、お名(な)前(まえ)は知(し)りません。

   Sumimasen, onamae wa shirimasen.

   I'm sorry, I don't know (your) name.

2. to learn, acquire,
   • 1944 February 8, Ango Sakaguchi, 歴史と事実 [History and Facts]‎^[1]:

     我(われ)々(われ)は史(し)料(りょう)によって歴(れき)史(し)を知(し)る。

     Wareware wa shiryō ni yotte rekishi o shiru.

     We learn history through historic materials.

3. to be acquainted with, to know (someone)
4. (colloquial, in the negative) to care in the least about, to be concerned with,

   寿司(すし)ピザなんか知(し)らん。

   Sushi piza nanka shiran.

   I couldn't care less for sushi pizza.

Usage notes

When constructing this verb's affirmative present form, the ている construction is used, as in 知っている. However, as an irregularity, when forming its negative present form, the negative form of the ている (ている) construction is not, as would be expected, 知っていない, and instead becomes 知らない. Thus, extra care must be exercised when using this term.

This term is contrasted by 分かる, which is used for anything that involves conscious or continuous knowledge, while 知る is used for general facts. For example, the phrase

日(に)本(ほん)語(ご)を知(し)ります ― Nihongo o shirimasu ―  

would mean "I am acquainted with Japanese" or "I know what the Japanese language is". When saying "I know (have acquired) Japanese"

日(に)本(ほん)語(ご)が分(わ)かります ― Nihongo ga wakarimasu ―  

is used instead.

Conjugation

Conjugation of "知る" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
Mizenkei ("imperfective")	知ら	しら	shira
Ren’yōkei ("continuative")	知り	しり	shiri
Shūshikei ("terminal")	知る	しる	shiru
Rentaikei ("attributive")	知る	しる	shiru
Kateikei ("hypothetical")	知れ	しれ	shire
Meireikei ("imperative")	知れ	しれ	shire
Key constructions
Passive	知られる	しられる	shirareru
Causative	知らせる 知らす	しらせる しらす	shiraseru shirasu
Potential	知れる	しれる	shireru
Volitional	知ろう	しろう	shirō
Negative	知らない	しらない	shiranai
Negative continuative	知らず	しらず	shirazu
Formal	知ります	しります	shirimasu
Perfective	知った	しった	shitta
Conjunctive	知って	しって	shitte
Hypothetical conditional	知れば	しれば	shireba

Classical conjugation of "知る" (ラ行四段活用, see Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Stem forms
Irrealis (未然形)	知ら	しら	sira
Continuative (連用形)	知り	しり	siri
Terminal (終止形)	知る	しる	siru
Attributive (連体形)	知る	しる	siru
Realis (已然形)	知れ	しれ	sire
Imperative (命令形)	知れ	しれ	sire
Key constructions
Negative	知らず	しらず	sirazu
Contrasting conjunction	知れど	しれど	siredo
Causal conjunction	知れば	しれば	sireba
Conditional conjunction	知らば	しらば	siraba
Past tense (firsthand knowledge)	知りき	しりき	siriki
Past tense (secondhand knowledge)	知りけり	しりけり	sirikeri
Perfect tense (conscious action)	知りつ	しりつ	siritu
Perfect tense (natural event)	知りぬ	しりぬ	sirinu
Perfect-continuative tense	知れり 知りたり	しれり しりたり	sireri siritari
Volitional	知らむ	しらむ	siramu

References

• 2002, Ineko Kondō; Fumi Takano; Mary E Althaus; et. al., Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary, Third Edition, Tokyo: Shōgakukan, →ISBN.