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How to Say ‘I don't understand.’ in Simplified Chinese

我不懂。

wǒ bù dǒng

[wo boo dohng]

💬 Usage Tip: To make a verb negative, put 不 right before it: 我不要 "I don't want it".

🇨🇳 In China: If you mean you didn't catch the words, 我听不懂 "I can't understand what I hear" is more precise and what locals expect from a learner.

Phrase Breakdown

我

wǒ

[wo]

I

The speaker referring to themselves.

Example

我明天有空。

I am free tomorrow.

不

bù

[boo]

not

A negative word used to make the phrase negative.

Example

我今天不太方便出门。

It is not very convenient for me to go out today.

懂

dǒng

[dohng]

understand

To comprehend or get the meaning of something.

Example

这个图很好懂。

This chart is easy to understand.

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