How to Say "I Wonder" in Chinese

我想知道

wǒ xiǎng zhīdào

The Chinese phrase for "I wonder" is 我想知道 (wǒ xiǎng zhīdào).

我想知道 is used to express a desire to find out or know more about something.

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase is composed of 我 (I), 想 (want/would like to) and 知道 (to know).

While the English "I wonder" can sometimes sound speculative or soft, the Chinese 我想知道 is more direct and literally translates to "I want to know".

This phrase is typically followed by a question word, such as who, what, where or if, to form the object of the wonder.

wǒ xiǎng zhīdào

If your 'wondering' is more about a feeling of amazement or awe, such as 'I wonder at the beauty of the mountains', you would use 惊叹 (jīngtàn) rather than 我想知道.
In very formal or written contexts, a speaker might replace 我想知道 with 不知, which literally means 'not knowing' but functions as a polite 'I wonder'.
The word 知道 specifically refers to knowing a fact, whereas another word for 'know', 认识, is used only for knowing people or recognizing a character.

我想知道汤姆还要别的什么。
I wonder what else Tom wants.
The sentence is useful for seeing how to express curiosity about what else someone wants using 我想知道.
Tatoeba #4757708 by ryanwoo, translation #3677160 by CK
我想知道您能否把我介紹給 PC Interactive 有限公司的哈里森先生。
I wonder if it would be possible for you to introduce me to Mr. Harrison of PC Interactive Co. Ltd.
This example shows how to use 我想知道 to form a polite inquiry about a possibility.
Tatoeba #13527674 by LeviHighway, translation #1347422 by CN
我想知道谁来了。
I wonder who has come.
This sentence demonstrates how to use 我想知道 followed by a question word to ask about who has arrived.
Tatoeba #334195 by fucongcong, translation #276391 by adjusting
他们怎么不来了？我想知道他们怎么了。
Why aren't they coming? I wonder what happened to them.
19 more sentences on Tatoeba

Two friends are sitting in a cafe talking about a mutual friend.

浩然 Haoran

我想知道李明什么时候来。
Wǒ xiǎng zhīdào Lǐ Míng shénme shíhòu lái.
I wonder when Li Ming is coming.
雨婷 Yuting

他可能还在路上。
Tā kěnéng hái zài lùshang.
He might still be on the way.
浩然 Haoran

雨婷，你觉得他会迟到吗？
Yǔtíng, nǐ juéde tā huì chídào ma?
Yuting, do you think he will be late?
雨婷 Yuting

我不确定，我们再等等吧。
Wǒ bù quèdìng, wǒmen zài děng děng ba.
I'm not sure, let's wait a bit more.

Sources

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