<p>明白了sounds a bit more polite than 知道了. It's subtle but if you are losing your patience and want the listener to stop repeating him/herself immediately, use 知道了. If you want to politely assure the listener that he/she has made him/herself sufficiently clear, use 明白了, or 懂了.</p>
<p>It's similar to the subtle difference between &quot;OK&quot; and &quot;no problem&quot;.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-07-15T15:35:02.383Z
2023-07-15T15:35:02.383Z
user3528438
<p>These are my opinions,</p>
<ul>
<li><p>我明白了 = I understand (what you were saying) now.</p>
</li>
<li><p>我知道了 = I hear you/okay, fine.</p>
</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-07-15T16:59:02.330Z
2023-07-15T16:59:02.330Z
r13
<p>如果你问知道和明白之间的区别：我们可以知道一些我们不明白的东西，比如量子力学，但我们不能明白一些我们不知道的东西。</p>
<p>If you are asking about the difference between know and understand: We can know about something which we don't understand, such as Quantum Mechanics, but we can't understand something we don't know.</p>
<p>知道某事是明白某事的第一步。如果你知道的事情很简单，那么知道就是明白：如果一个人结婚了，就意味着这个人有了丈夫或妻子。</p>
<p>To know about something is the first step to understanding something. If the thing you know about is simple, to know is to understand: If someone is married that means that person has a husband or wife.</p>
<p>我知道了一个埋藏多年的秘密。<br />
I know a secret which has been hidden for many years.</p>
<p>To know about something does not automatically mean you understand it.</p>
<p>*我明白了一个埋藏多年的秘密。<br />
*I understand a secret which has been hidden for many years.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-07-16T01:24:47.273Z
2023-07-16T01:24:47.273Z
Pedroski
<p>明白了 = Understood.
知道了 = Noted. / Acknowledged.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-07-16T04:32:07.813Z
2023-07-16T04:32:07.813Z
王博龙
<p>They are the same and interchangeable.</p>
<p>The subtle nuances are '明白了' means you comprehend the information, and '知道了' means you received the information.</p>
<p>So you can 知道但不明白, but you can't 明白但不知道, because you can't understand something when you don't know it yet.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-07-19T14:44:24.323Z
2023-07-19T14:44:24.323Z
sfy
<p>明白了, meaning delivered
知道了, message delivered</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-07-18T03:15:59.240Z
2023-07-18T03:15:59.240Z
hx3ds
<p>When should i use it? In what situations? For example, if they explain something to me or ask me not to do something, then these words are interchangeable or not, what shade?</p>

<difference>
What's the difference between 明白了and 知道了?
# What's the difference between 明白了and 知道了?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2023-07-15)

When should i use it? In what situations? For example, if they explain something to me or ask me not to do something, then these words are interchangeable or not, what shade?

**Tags:** difference


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## 6 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2023-07-15. Score: 4

明白了sounds a bit more polite than 知道了. It's subtle but if you are losing your patience and want the listener to stop repeating him/herself immediately, use 知道了. If you want to politely assure the listener that he/she has made him/herself sufficiently clear, use 明白了, or 懂了.

It's similar to the subtle difference between "OK" and "no problem".


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### Answer by username_2 on 2023-07-15. Score: 3

These are my opinions,

* 我明白了 = I understand (what you were saying) now.
* 我知道了 = I hear you/okay, fine.


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### Answer by username_3 on 2023-07-16. Score: 1

如果你问知道和明白之间的区别：我们可以知道一些我们不明白的东西，比如量子力学，但我们不能明白一些我们不知道的东西。

If you are asking about the difference between know and understand: We can know about something which we don't understand, such as Quantum Mechanics, but we can't understand something we don't know.

知道某事是明白某事的第一步。如果你知道的事情很简单，那么知道就是明白：如果一个人结婚了，就意味着这个人有了丈夫或妻子。

To know about something is the first step to understanding something. If the thing you know about is simple, to know is to understand: If someone is married that means that person has a husband or wife.

我知道了一个埋藏多年的秘密。  
I know a secret which has been hidden for many years.

To know about something does not automatically mean you understand it.

\*我明白了一个埋藏多年的秘密。  
\*I understand a secret which has been hidden for many years.


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### Answer by username_4 on 2023-07-16. Score: 1

明白了 = Understood.
知道了 = Noted. / Acknowledged.


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### Answer by username_5 on 2023-07-19. Score: 0

They are the same and interchangeable.

The subtle nuances are '明白了' means you comprehend the information, and '知道了' means you received the information.

So you can 知道但不明白, but you can't 明白但不知道, because you can't understand something when you don't know it yet.


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### Answer by username_6 on 2023-07-18. Score: 0

明白了, meaning delivered
知道了, message delivered


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