わかった
wakatta
In Japanese, gotcha is expressed as わかった (wakatta).
わかった is used to acknowledge receipt of information or to signal that you have understood an instruction.
Meaning: I got you (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
わかった is the past tense of the verb わかる (to understand), literally meaning 'understood'.
Which one should you use?
While わかった is used with friends or subordinates, わかりました is the appropriate polite form to use with superiors or strangers.
How does it change in a sentence?
わかった is the past tense of the verb わかる (to understand).
How do you pronounce it?
wakatta
Did you know?
- The word わかる is related to the verb 分ける wakeru, which means 'to divide' or 'to separate', because understanding is seen as the ability to distinguish one thing from another.
- The verb わかる is often used in the phrase わかるわかる to show deep empathy, functioning more like 'I totally feel you' than a simple 'I understand'.
- While わかった means 'I gotcha' in terms of information, it cannot be used to mean 'I caught you' if you are physically capturing someone, which would require a different verb.
Examples in context
- わかった。wakatta.Gotcha.
- あ、わかったよ。a, wakatta yo.Ah, I got you.
Example conversation
Kenta and Himari are discussing the details of a meeting.
- 健太 Kenta明日の集合時間は10時だよ。ashita no shuugou jikan wa juuji da yo.The meeting time tomorrow is 10 o'clock.
- 陽葵 Himariわかった、覚えておくね。wakatta, oboete oku ne.Gotcha, I'll remember it.
- 健太 Kenta場所は駅の北口だよ。basho wa eki no kitaguchi da yo.The place is the north exit of the station.
- 陽葵 Himari了解、わかったよ。ryoukai, wakatta yo.Roger, gotcha.
