Meaning and usage
Editorial draft知道 often introduces information that someone knows. Use it for knowing an answer, knowing what happened, or knowing how to get somewhere. In everyday mainland speech, 道 is often neutral-toned.
Examples
我他的名字。
I know his name.
你怎么去吗？
Do you know how to get there?
我现在了。
Now I know.
Word comparisons
知道 and 认识
知道 () often concerns information. 认识 () commonly concerns familiarity or recognition. You can know someone's name without being acquainted with them.
Word combinations
not know
know the answer
Sources & editorial notes
Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.
Source record: cd-731741b9d1900956. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.
Original source entry:
知道 知道 [zhi1 dao4] /to know; to become aware of/also pr. [zhi1dao5]/Additional explanations and examples are editorial drafts. They have not received independent linguistic review. Audio uses an available Mandarin device voice, and its quality varies.
Editorial revision: 2026-10-27.1. Examples use tone marks, including common changes in 一 and 不.
Source material and teaching drafts have separate provenance. Long-term commercial licensing remains under review.
Character information
View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.