Which one should you use?
私の言っていることがわかりますか？ specifically asks if the person understands what you are saying, whereas 分かりますか？ is a general "Do you understand?" For a more formal tone, you might use 理解していただけましたでしょうか？ or お分かりになりましたか？, both of which mean "Have you understood?" In informal settings, you can use 分かる？ or 理解できた？ to mean "Do you understand?" or "Did you understand?"
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For very formal situations, you can use 理解していただけましたでしょうか？ or お分かりになりましたか？ to mean "Have you understood?" Another informal option is 私の言っていることがわかる？, which replaces the polite verb with the dictionary form and uses rising intonation instead of a formal particle.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb わかりますか？ uses the polite form wakarimasu of the verb wakaru (to understand), and ends with the question particle ka.
How do you pronounce it?
watashi no itte iru koto ga wakarimasu ka?
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly try to translate "do you understand me" literally as あなたは私を理解していますか？ This sounds unnatural and overly psychological in Japanese. You should use wakaru or its polite forms to express standard comprehension.
Did you know?
- The kanji for the root of わかります is 分, which literally means 'to divide' or 'to separate', reflecting the idea that understanding is the act of breaking a concept into parts.
- If you ask someone わかりますか？ in a professional setting, it can inadvertently sound like you are questioning their intelligence or competence. To avoid this, it is more polite to ask ご不明な点はありますか？, which translates to 'Are there any points that are unclear?'
- The verb わかる is often used to express empathy or agreement, similar to 'I see' or 'I feel you' in English, rather than just cognitive comprehension.
Examples in context
- 今の説明で、私の言っていることがわかりますか？Ima no setsumei de, watashi no itte iru koto ga wakarimasu ka?With this explanation, do you understand me?
- もっとゆっくり話しましょうか。私の言っていることがわかりますか？Motto yukkuri hanashimashou ka. Watashi no itte iru koto ga wakarimasu ka?Shall I speak more slowly? Do you understand what I'm saying?
Example conversation
A teacher is explaining a difficult concept to a student in a classroom.
- 蓮 Ren難しいですが、私の言っていることがわかりますか？Muzukashii desu ga, watashi no itte iru koto ga wakarimasu ka?It is difficult, but do you understand me?
- 陽葵 Himariはい、蓮先生。少しずつわかってきました。Hai, Ren-sensei. Sukoshi zutsu wakatte kimashita.Yes, Ren-sensei. I am starting to understand bit by bit.
- 蓮 Renよかったです。陽葵さんは理解が早いですね。Yokatta desu. Himari-san wa rikai ga hayai desu ne.I'm glad. You are a quick learner, Himari.
- 陽葵 Himariありがとうございます。もっと頑張ります！Arigatou gozaimasu. Motto ganbarimasu!Thank you. I will work harder!
