How to Say ‘Don't understand well’ in Japanese
よくわからない
yoku wakara nai
[yoh-koo wah-KAH-rah nai]
💬 Usage Tip: よく here means "well" or "clearly," not "often" as it does elsewhere. わからない is the casual "don't understand"; add です after it or switch to わかりません for a politer version.
🇯🇵 In Japan: Saying you didn't quite follow something, rather than guessing, is seen as responsible at a Japanese workplace. Pointing to よく "clearly" keeps it soft, suggesting you caught part of it.
Phrase Breakdown
よく
yoku
[yoh-koo]
well
To a high degree; thoroughly.
よくできました。
Well done.
わから
wakara
[wah-KAH-rah]
understand (negative stem)
Form of わかる used before ない to make 'not understand'.
意味がわからない。
I don't understand the meaning.
ない
nai
[nai]
not
Indicates negation or absence.
問題はない。
There is no problem.
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