How to say “understand” in Chinese
understand, know how
“Understand” in Chinese is 懂得, dǒng de: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
懂得 is read dǒng de: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
On the left, 忄 “heart”.
In 觉得 it is read with the neutral tone: de.
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “懂得”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 懂得. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 孩子要懂得自我保护。háiziyàodǒngdezìwǒbǎohùA child should know how to protect themselves.
- 人要懂得控制自己的欲望rényàodǒngdekòngzhìzìjǐdeyùwàngPeople should know how to curb their desires.
More words from the lesson “Got it or not?”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “understand” in Chinese?
“Understand” in Chinese is 懂得, pinyin dǒngde.
What does 懂得 mean?
懂得 (dǒngde) means “understand, know how”.
How do you write 懂得?
懂得 is 2 characters: 懂 (dǒng) — understand; 得 (dé) — get, obtain. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 懂得?
懂得 is read dǒngde. Tones: dǒng — third tone, de — neutral tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“understand” in the lesson “Got it or not?”
This word is from the topic “Studying” of HSK 3. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
Start for free