How to Say ‘I understand’ in Japanese
は分かります
wa wakari masu
[wah wah-kah-ree mahss]
💬 Usage Tip: When [は] comes after a noun here, it highlights that part as the topic, and [は] is said (wa), not (ha). So [お気持ちは分かります] is literally "as for your feelings, I understand."
Phrase Breakdown
は
wa
[wah]
topic marker
A particle that marks the topic of the sentence; pronounced 'wa.'
これは大切です。
This is important.
分かり
wakari
[wah-kah-ree]
understand (stem)
The stem of 分かります, meaning 'to understand.'
理由が分かります。
I understand the reason.
ます
masu
[mahss]
polite verb ending
The polite ending attached to verb stems in non-past polite form.
少し待ちます。
I will wait a little.
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