# 知る
## Japanese

* Kanji in this term
* 知
* し Grade: 2
* kun'yomi
* Alternative spelling
* 識る

### Etymology

From Old Japanese, from Proto-Japonic *siru.

### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) しる [shìrú] (Heiban – [0])
* IPA: [ɕiɾɯ̟]
* Tokyo pitch accent of conjugated forms of 「知る」
Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary :
| Stem forms ||||
| Terminal (終止形) Attributive (連体形) | 知る | しる | [shìrú] |
| Imperative (命令形) | 知れ | しれ | [shìré] |
| Key constructions ||||
| Passive | 知られる | しられる | [shìrárérú] |
| Causative | 知らせる | しらせる | [shìrásérú] |
| Potential | 知れる | しれる | [shìrérú] |
| Volitional | 知ろう | しろー | [shìróꜜò] |
| Negative | 知らない | しらない | [shìránáí] |
| Negative perfective | 知らなかった | しらなかった | [shìránáꜜkàttà] |
| Formal | 知ります | しります | [shìrímáꜜsù] |
| Perfective | 知った | しった | [shìttá] |
| Conjunctive | 知って | しって | [shìtté] |
| Hypothetical conditional | 知れば | しれば | [shìréꜜbà] |

### Verb

知(し)る • (shiru) transitive godan (stem 知(し)り (shiri), past 知(し)った (shitta))
Japanese verb pair :
| active | 知る |
| mediopassive | 知れる |
* to know, be aware of
    キムさんの電(でん)話(わ)番(ばん)号(ごう)を知(し)っていますか。
       Kimu-san no denwa bangō o shitte imasu ka.
       Do you know Kim's telephone number?
    すみません、お名(な)前(まえ)は知(し)りません。
       Sumimasen, onamae wa shirimasen.
       I'm sorry, I don't know (your) name.
* to learn, acquire,
** 1944 February 8, Ango Sakaguchi, 歴史と事実 [History and Facts]‎:
    我(われ)々(われ)は史(し)料(りょう)によって歴(れき)史(し)を知(し)る。
       Wareware wa shiryō ni yotte rekishi o shiru.
       We learn history through historic materials.
* to be acquainted with, to know (someone)
* (colloquial, in the negative) to care in the least about, to be concerned with,
    寿司(すし)ピザなんか知(し)らん。
       Sushi piza nanka shiran.
       I couldn't care less for sushi pizza.

#### Usage notes

When constructing this verb's affirmative present form, the ている construction is used, as in 知っている. However, as an irregularity, when forming its negative present form, the negative form of the ている construction is not, as would be expected, 知っていない, and instead becomes 知らない. Thus, extra care must be exercised when using this term.
This term is contrasted by 分かる, which is used for anything that involves conscious or continuous knowledge, while 知る is used for general facts. For example, the phrase
    日(に)本(ほん)語(ご)を知(し)ります ― Nihongo o shirimasu ―
would mean "I am acquainted with Japanese" or "I know what the Japanese language is". When saying "I know (have acquired) Japanese"
    日(に)本(ほん)語(ご)が分(わ)かります ― Nihongo ga wakarimasu ―
is used instead.

#### Conjugation

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms") :
| Mizenkei ("imperfective") | 知ら | しら | shira |
| Ren’yōkei ("continuative") | 知り | しり | shiri |
| Shūshikei ("terminal") | 知る | しる | shiru |
| Rentaikei ("attributive") | 知る | しる | shiru |
| Kateikei ("hypothetical") | 知れ | しれ | shire |
| Meireikei ("imperative") | 知れ | しれ | shire |
| Key constructions ||||
| Passive | 知られる | しられる | shirareru |
| Causative | 知らせる 知らす | しらせる しらす | shiraseru shirasu |
| Potential | 知れる | しれる | shireru |
| Volitional | 知ろう | しろう | shirō |
| Negative | 知らない | しらない | shiranai |
| Negative continuative | 知らず | しらず | shirazu |
| Formal | 知ります | しります | shirimasu |
| Perfective | 知った | しった | shitta |
| Conjunctive | 知って | しって | shitte |
| Hypothetical conditional | 知れば | しれば | shireba |
Stem forms :
| Irrealis (未然形) | 知ら | しら | sira |
| Continuative (連用形) | 知り | しり | siri |
| Terminal (終止形) | 知る | しる | siru |
| Attributive (連体形) | 知る | しる | siru |
| Realis (已然形) | 知れ | しれ | sire |
| Imperative (命令形) | 知れ | しれ | sire |
| Key constructions ||||
| Negative | 知らず | しらず | sirazu |
| Contrasting conjunction | 知れど | しれど | siredo |
| Causal conjunction | 知れば | しれば | sireba |
| Conditional conjunction | 知らば | しらば | siraba |
| Past tense (firsthand knowledge) | 知りき | しりき | siriki |
| Past tense (secondhand knowledge) | 知りけり | しりけり | sirikeri |
| Perfect tense (conscious action) | 知りつ | しりつ | siritu |
| Perfect tense (natural event) | 知りぬ | しりぬ | sirinu |
| Perfect-continuative tense | 知れり 知りたり | しれり しりたり | sireri siritari |
| Volitional | 知らむ | しらむ | siramu |

### References

* ↑ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
* 2002, Ineko Kondō; Fumi Takano; Mary E Althaus; et. al., Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary, Third Edition, Tokyo: Shōgakukan, →ISBN.