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

我听不懂

wǒ tīng bù dǒng

[waw tīng bù dǒng]

💬 Usage Tip: 听不懂 means you heard the words but can't follow them. 看不懂 "can't understand what I'm reading" works the same way for signs and menus.

Phrase Breakdown

我

wǒ

[waw]

I; me

The first-person pronoun, used to refer to yourself.

Example

我也想了解这个公司的文化。

I also want to understand this company’s culture.

听

tīng

[tīng]

to listen; to hear

A verb for perceiving sounds or speech with your ears; often combined with result words like 懂 (understand) or 到 (reach).

Example

请你再说一遍,我没听清楚。

Please say it again, I didn't hear clearly.

不

bù

[bù]

not

Used to form the negative of verbs.

Example

他不想参与。

He does not want to participate.

懂

dǒng

[dǒng]

to understand

A verb meaning to understand; after 听不 it means unable to understand what is heard.

Example

他看不懂中文。

He can't read Chinese.

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