Chinese phrases
How to say I don’t know in Chinese
I don’t know in Chinese is 我不知道 (wǒ bù zhī dào). In speech, people often leave out the 我 and just say 不知道.
我不知道
I don’t know
知 has the first tone, so 不 keeps its fourth tone here: bù zhī dào.
Ways to say I don’t know
我不知道
EverydayI don’t know
Plain and neutral. Fine with anyone when you don’t have the answer.
不知道
Everydaydon’t know
The short form, often with a shrug. The most common answer in conversation.
我不太清楚
FormalI’m not too sure
Softer and more polite. Staff and colleagues use it, and it sounds less flat than 不知道.
我也不知道
EverydayI don’t know either
When the person who asks doesn’t know the answer, and you don’t either.
不太了解
FormalI don’t know much about it
For a subject you know little about: 这方面我不太了解, “I don’t know much about this area.”
谁知道呢
With friendswho knows?
A shrug about something nobody can know, such as the weather next week or the end of a story.
不晓得
Everydaydon’t know
Regional. You hear it every day in Sichuan, Chongqing, Hubei and Hunan.
Common mistakes
Using 知道 for people and skills
知道 is knowing a fact. To say you don’t know a person, use 认识: 我不认识他. For a skill, use 会: 我不会游泳, “I can’t swim.”
Answering with 不是
Chinese has no all-purpose “no.” To 你知道吗, answer with the verb: 知道 or 不知道.
Using 没 with 知道
知道 takes 不, also in the past. “I didn’t know” is 我不知道, or 我之前不知道 when you want to stress “until now.”
At a shop
你知道这家店几点关门吗？
Qiqi: Do you know what time this shop closes?
我不知道。问一下老板吧。
Leon: I don’t know. Let’s ask the owner.
老板，你们几点关门？
Qiqi: Excuse me, what time do you close?
晚上十点。
Owner: Ten at night.
