How to Say I Don't Understand in Japanese: Wakarimasen and Beyond

Wakarimasen, wakaranai and chotto wakaranai

The verb is wakaru, which means to understand, to be able to tell, or to work something out. In the polite negative it is wakarimasen, and in the plain negative it is wakaranai. Both are correct; the difference is register. Wakarimasen is what you say to a shop assistant, a station worker, a teacher or anyone you would address with desu and masu. Wakaranai is for friends, family and people you are on casual terms with, and among them it is completely normal, not rude.

The word that changes the feel of both is chotto, a little. Chotto wakaranai does not really mean you understand a little; it is a softener, the same one used in chotto muzukashii to turn down a request. It signals that you are not shutting the conversation down, just flagging a gap. In polite speech the common shape is sumimasen, chotto wakaranai n desu ga, with the n desu ga ending leaving the sentence open so the other person naturally offers help.

The past tense, wakarimasen deshita, is for after the fact: yoku wakarimasen deshita, I did not really follow, is honest without being dramatic.

Saying what you did not understand

A bare wakarimasen leaves the other person guessing. Did you miss one word, or all of it? Was it too fast, or was the topic itself unfamiliar? Japanese speakers, like anyone, respond best to a specific request, so the most useful habit is to name the problem in the same breath.

If the issue is meaning, use imi ga wakarimasen, I do not understand the meaning, and point to the word: sono kotoba no imi ga wakarimasen. If you heard it but could not separate the sounds, the verb is kikitoru, to catch by ear, so kikitoremasen deshita, I could not catch that. If the trouble is speed, hayasugite wakarimasen deshita, it was too fast to follow. If you are staring at a document, it is reading rather than hearing: kono kanji ga yomemasen, I cannot read this kanji, or koko no bubun ga wakarimasen, this part is unclear.

Each of these opens a different door: an explanation, a slower repeat, or the reading written down. Choosing the right one saves a whole round of back and forth.

Asking for a repeat, a slowdown or a rephrase

Once you have said what went wrong, ask for what would fix it. There are three basic requests, and it helps to think of them as separate tools. Mō ichido onegai shimasu asks for a repeat, which is right when you missed a sound. Mō sukoshi yukkuri onegai shimasu asks for slower speech, which is right when you could not keep up. Betsu no iikata de onegai dekimasu ka asks for a rephrase, which is right when you heard every word and still did not understand, because the same sentence repeated slowly will not help.

Two more requests are useful for vocabulary. Kantan na kotoba de itte moraemasu ka asks for simpler words. Kaite moraemasu ka asks the person to write it down, which is often the fastest fix for a name, a station or a number, and Japanese speakers will happily write on a receipt or show you their phone.

At work: sumimasen and mō ichido yoroshii desu ka

In an office, a customer call or a job interview, the same gap in understanding needs a more careful frame. Start with sumimasen or the more formal mōshiwake arimasen ga, and switch onegai shimasu for yoroshii desu ka, which asks whether it would be all right. Sumimasen, mō ichido yoroshii desu ka is the standard sentence, and osore irimasu ga in front makes it suitable for a client.

It is also normal at work to blame the line rather than your Japanese. Sukoshi kikitorinikukatta no desu ga, it was a little hard to catch, or o-denwa ga tōi yō desu, the line seems faint, are polite fictions everyone recognises. Then confirm what you heard: ... to iu koto de yoroshii deshō ka. Managers prefer this to a silent nod, because a misheard deadline costs far more than a repeated one.

Wakaranai or shiranai: a brief contrast

This site has a full guide on saying I don't know, so here is only the distinction that matters for comprehension. Shiru is about possessing information: a fact, a name, a place. Wakaru is about grasping something: a meaning, a situation, a decision. When you did not understand what someone said, the verb is always wakaru. Shirimasen would mean you have no knowledge of the topic, which is a different claim.

This is why shiranai can sound cold: it suggests the matter is not your concern, while wakaranai sounds like you tried and could not tell.

Quick reference: which phrase for which problem

Use this table to match the kind of gap to the sentence that fixes it. The polite column works with strangers, staff and colleagues; the casual column is for friends. In both cases, follow the sentence with a request, such as mō ichido onegai shimasu, so the listener knows what to do next.

Keeping the conversation going after you say it

Saying you did not understand is a pause, not an ending. Show what you did catch: eki made wa wakarimashita ga, sono ato ga, I got as far as the station, but after that... This tells them where to restart. Repeat a fragment as a question: nijikan? A single word with rising intonation is one of the most natural ways to ask for confirmation in Japanese. Then close the gap with arigatō gozaimasu, wakarimashita.

• Show the part you did understand so the speaker knows where to restart
• Echo one word with rising intonation to check it
• Ask for slower speech once, early, rather than repeats every sentence
• Confirm the outcome with tsumari ... desu ne before acting on it
• Close with wakarimashita, arigatō gozaimasu when the gap is fixed
• If it still fails, ask them to write it or show it on a map or phone

Mistakes that make the gap feel bigger

The most common mistake is nodding. Japanese listening involves a lot of aizuchi, the small hai and ee sounds that show you are following, and learners copy them so well that speakers assume the message landed. If you say hai and then do the wrong thing, the mismatch is more embarrassing than a wakarimasen would have been. Reserve hai for things you actually understood.

The second mistake is saying wakarimasen and stopping, so the speaker simply repeats the same sentence. Add mō ichido, yukkuri or betsu no iikata every time. The third is apologising too much: one sumimasen is polite, a string of them turns a small pause into an incident. The fourth is answering nihongo ga wakarimasen when you understand a good deal of it. That sentence switches the whole exchange to gestures or English, and you lose the practice. Chotto wakaranai n desu ga keeps you in Japanese.