知る・識る|しるshiru[0]heiban (flat)

1. godan verb, transitive verbto know; to be aware (of); to be conscious (of); to learn (of); to find out; to discover
2. godan verb, transitive verbto sense; to feel; to notice; to realize
   私は自分じぶんが感かんじたことを言いえるのが必要ひつようであることを知しった。↗

   I find it necessary to be able to say what I feel.
3. godan verb, transitive verbto understand; to comprehend; to grasp; to appreciate
4. godan verb, transitive verbto remember; to be familiar with; to be acquainted with
   あなたは１９９０年ねんから彼女かのじょを知しっているのですか？↗

   Have you known her since 1990?
5. godan verb, transitive verbto experience; to go through; to know (e.g. hardship)
6. godan verb, transitive verbto get acquainted with (a person); to get to know
7. godan verb, transitive verbto have to do with; to be concerned with; to be one's concern; to be one's responsibilityusu. with neg. sentence

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• SynonymわかるNeutralEmphasizes understanding or things becoming clear; intransitive. 知る is about gaining information or knowing someone. To say you don't know something, use 「知らない」.
• Synonym存じるぞんじるFormalHumble form of 知る and 思う, as in 「存じております」; standard in business keigo when referring to your own knowing or thinking.
• Synonym気づくきづくNeutralNoticing or becoming aware of something you had overlooked; 知る is broader, covering learning and finding things out.
• Synonym承知しょうちFormalFormal: knowing or understanding something, and also agreeing to it; 「承知しました」 means 'Understood, I'll comply' — more formal than 知る.
• Synonym心得るこころえるWrittenWritten: understanding thoroughly and mastering the essentials, or accepting a duty once you understand it; more literary than 知る.
• Synonym認識にんしきWrittenWritten Sino-Japanese noun for one's recognition or understanding of something, mostly in expository prose, as in 「認識不足」.
• Synonym理解りかいNeutralA neutral noun, not limited to prose: understanding content or being considerate of others. It stresses comprehending, while 知る stresses knowing.
• Synonym認知にんちWrittenWritten: knowing something exists and acknowledging it; also 'cognition' in psychology and the legal acknowledgment of a child.
• Synonym察知さっちWrittenWritten: coming to know something by inferring it from signs and indications, as in sensing danger.
• Synonym感じ取るかんじとるNeutralPerceiving or taking something in through feeling; the object is usually an atmosphere, a mood, or another intangible.
• Synonym悟るさとるNeutralGrasping the true meaning or clearly sensing something — a level deeper than 知る; also used for attaining enlightenment.
• Synonym存知ぞんじFormalFormal noun for knowing; mostly in the honorific 「ご存知」, respectfully referring to what the other person knows.
• Synonym存じ上げるぞんじあげるFormalA very respectful humble form of 知る, used mainly for knowing or being acquainted with the other person.
• Synonym見て取るみてとるWrittenWritten: grasping a situation at a glance or seeing through it, perceiving by observation rather than simply knowing.
• Synonym存ずるぞんずるFormalAn older, literary form of 存じる; the same humble word for knowing or thinking, with a more archaic flavor.
• Synonym了知りょうちWrittenRare written word: to fully understand or be well informed of something; you will seldom need it.
• Synonym見知るみしるNeutralKnowing someone or something by sight, from having seen it before; most common in 「見知らぬ人」, 'a stranger'.
• Related覚えるおぼえるNeutralAbout memorizing and learning — keeping something in memory; 知る is about coming to know or find out in the first place.
• Related見出すみいだすWrittenWritten: finding or discovering something — value, meaning, or even faults; close to 知る only in the sense of discovering.
• Related思うおもうNeutralThinking or feeling — a subjective judgment; 知る is about grasping objective facts.
• Related見つけるみつけるNeutralFinding or spotting things, people, problems, or solutions; close to 知る only in the sense of discovering.
• Related感づくかんづくCasualColloquial: getting an inkling of something, often a secret or the early signs of something bad.
• Related看取かんしゅWrittenRare written noun for seeing through or perceiving something by looking; the same idea as 「見て取る」.
• Related聞き分けるききわけるNeutralTelling sounds or voices apart, or being reasonable and taking advice; close to 知る only in identifying things by ear.
• Related嗅ぎ取るかぎとるNeutralLiterally to smell something; figuratively, picking up someone's thoughts or intentions from subtle signs.
• Antonym知らないしらないNeutralThe negative of 知る: not knowing or not being acquainted; also used to mean 'I don't care' or 'that's none of my business'.

Default to 「知る」 for knowing facts or people. Use 「分かる」 for understanding, 「気づく」 for noticing, 「覚える」 for memorizing. For your own knowing in polite speech, use the humble 「存じる」/「存ずる」 or 「存じ上げる」 for people, and ask with 「ご存知」; 「承知」 covers formal acknowledgment and consent. 「理解」 is the everyday noun for comprehension, while 「認識」, 「認知」, 「察知」 suit written prose. 「感じ取る」, 「悟る」, 「嗅ぎ取る」, 「感づく」 are about perceiving through feeling or signs; 「見つける」 and 「見出す」 mean to find; 「思う」 is subjective thinking; 「知らない」 is the negative.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. ある事物じぶつについての知識ちしきを持もつ、得うる。
2. 面識めんしきがある。
3. 記憶きおくしている。認識にんしきしている。
4. 経験けいけんして身みにつける。覚おぼえる。わかるようになる。
5. 能力のうりょくがある。本質ほんしつを理解りかいしている。
6. 性交せいこうする。性せいを体験たいけんする。
7. 所在しょざいする場所ばしょを把握はあくしている。
8. （否定ひていや反語はんごなどの形かたちで）関知かんちする。
9. 自覚じかくする。悟さとる。認みとめる。
10. 区別くべつする。はっきりと分わける。