Conjugation

分かる

わかるwakaru

understand

Godan verb, group 1, ending -ru.

Conjugated like 要る

  • No potential

    分かる already says an ability or a state: it has no potential form.

  • Not to be confused with 知る

    知る is to come to know a fact, and 知っています to know it (名前を知っています); 分かる, to understand (日本語が分かります).

Newbie

The polite forms to talk about now, the future, and the past, and the te-form of requests.

  1. Polite present · -masu

    What you do, usually or soon, said politely. Japanese has one form for the present and the future.

    1. affirmative分かりますわかりますwakarimasu
    2. negative分かりませんわかりませんwakarimasen

  2. Polite past · -mashita

    What you did, or did not do, said politely.

    1. affirmative分かりましたわかりましたwakarimashita
    2. negative分かりませんでしたわかりませんでしたwakarimasen deshita

  3. Te-form

    Links actions (and then…), and with ください asks politely.

    1. 分かってわかってwakatte
    2. request分かってくださいわかってくださいwakatte kudasai

  4. Let’s · -mashō

    To suggest doing something together: let’s…

    1. 分かりましょうわかりましょうwakarimashō

  5. Wanting to · -tai

    What you want to do. Add です to be polite.

    1. affirmative分かりたいわかりたいwakaritai
    2. negative分かりたくないわかりたくないwakaritakunai
BeginnerThe plain forms of everyday speech, what is going on, what you can do, conditions, and the passive.Plain present · dictionary form · Plain past · -ta · Ongoing · -te iru · If, when · -tara · PassiveAlso show the Beginner forms (5)

  1. Plain present · dictionary form

    Between friends and family, and before a noun or many phrases. It also says the future.

    1. affirmative分かるわかるwakaru
    2. negative分からないわからないwakaranai

  2. Plain past · -ta

    The past between friends and family, and before a noun.

    1. affirmative分かったわかったwakatta
    2. negative分からなかったわからなかったwakaranakatta

  3. Ongoing · -te iru

    What is going on now, a habit, or a state that lasts: 結婚している, to be married.

    1. plain分かっているわかっているwakatte iru
    2. polite分かっていますわかっていますwakatte imasu

  4. If, when · -tara

    If or once something happens, and what you found when it did.

    1. 分かったらわかったらwakattara

  5. Passive

    What is done to someone, often to their regret: に marks who does it. It is also a respectful way to speak of others.

    1. plain分かられるわかられるwakarareru
    2. polite分かられますわかられますwakararemasu
IntermediateIntentions, orders, conditions, making someone do something, and the verbs of respect and modesty.Volitional · -ō, -yō · Command · Condition · -ba · Causative · Causative passiveAlso show the Intermediate forms (5)

  1. Volitional · -ō, -yō

    Let’s, between friends; with と思う, what you intend to do.

    1. 分かろうわかろうwakarō

  2. Command

    A blunt order or ban (〜な), heard in sports, on signs, and between men. Politely, say 〜てください.

    1. order分かれわかれwakare
    2. ban分かるなわかるなwakaru na

  3. Condition · -ba

    If…: the condition for what follows. In the negative, it also says what you must do: 〜なければならない.

    1. affirmative分かればわかればwakareba
    2. negative分からなければわからなければwakaranakereba

  4. Causative

    Making or letting someone do something: に or を marks who does it.

    1. plain分からせるわからせるwakaraseru
    2. polite分からせますわからせますwakarasemasu

  5. Causative passive

    Being made to do something you did not want to. In speech, godan verbs often shorten -aserareru to -asareru.

    1. plain分からせられるわからせられるwakaraserareru
    2. polite分からせられますわからせられますwakaraseraremasu