How to Say ‘I understand.’ in Japanese
わかりました。
wakari mashi ta
[wah-kah-ree mah-shee tah]
💬 Usage Tip: Polite “Got it.” Staff say it a lot after hearing your answers.
🇯🇵 In Japan: In Japan, [わかりました] from staff often means “I’ve understood your situation; I’ll proceed.”
Phrase Breakdown
わかり
wakari
[wah-kah-ree]
understand (polite past stem of わかる)
わかり comes from わかる (“to understand”). Pharmacists use it to show they understood your symptoms.
わかりました、少し待ってください。
Understood; please wait a moment.
まし
mashi
[mah-shee]
polite past (part of ました)
まし is part of the polite past ending ました, used in customer service: わかりました = “I understand/Understood.”
わかりました、こちらへどうぞ。
Understood; this way, please.
た
ta
[tah]
past marker (part of ました)
た completes the past form ました. Together: わかりました is a polite, set phrase meaning “Okay, got it.”
わかりました。おだいじに。
Understood. Take care.
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