知る（しる）
JLPT N5 · Godan verb (Group 1)
Pitch accent: heiban (flat) — starts low, stays high, no drop
Meaning: to know
Conjugation
| Form | Japanese | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| masu-form (polite) | 知ります | しります |
| te-form | 知って | しって |
| ta-form (past) | 知った | しった |
| nai-form (negative) | 知らない | しらない |
| potential form | 知れる | しれる |
See the full conjugation table for "知る" →
Example sentences
- あの店の名前を知っていますか。 — Do you know the name of that shop?
- 彼の電話番号は知らない。 — I don't know his phone number.
Idioms & proverbs containing “知る”
- 神のみぞ知る (かみのみぞしる) — God only knows; it's anyone's call; heaven knows
- 地獄にも知る人 (じごくにもしるひと) — you can make friends anywhere; (you can make) acquaintances even in hell
- 足るを知る者は富む (たるをしるものはとむ) — content is the philosopher's stone, that turns all it touches into gold
- 衣食足りて礼節を知る (いしょくたりてれいせつをしる) — well-fed, well-bred; the poor can't afford manners; only when basic needs for living are met can people spare the effort to be polite
- 子を持って知る親の恩 (こをもってしるおやのおん) — becoming a parent makes you appreciate your own parents
- 一葉落ちて天下の秋を知る (いちようおちててんかのあきをしる) — a straw will show which way the wind blows; a falling leaf shows that autumn has come
Related words
See it used in real works
- Example sentences from Japanese novels & web fiction (Massif)
- Hear “知る” pronounced in real videos (YouGlish)