я не зна́ю
ja ne znáju
In Russian, "I don't know" is expressed as я не зна́ю (ja ne znáju). Wiktionary also lists не зна́ю (ne znáju).
Meaning: I don’t know (intj)
Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| я не зна́ю | ja ne znáju |
| не зна́ю | ne znáju |
In very casual digital contexts, such as text messages or online conversations, you may encounter the abbreviation Хз, which is derived from хрен знает and can be translated as "heck knows".
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase не зна́ю literally means "not know". The particle не is a negative particle that must precede the verb to negate it.
How does it change in a sentence?
The pronoun я (I) is optional in the phrase я не зна́ю because the verb ending -ю already indicates that the subject is the first-person singular.
How do you pronounce it?
ja ne znáju
Did you know?
- In Russian, the concept of 'knowing' is split between зна́ть for factual information and уме́ть for knowing how to do a skill, so you cannot use я не зна́ю to say you don't know how to swim.
- The phrase хрен знает used to form the slang Хз contains a word for 'horseradish', which functions as a polite way to avoid using a much stronger profanity.
- Russian has a separate word, неве́жество, derived from the root of 'not knowing', which specifically refers to ignorance or a lack of education.
Examples in context
- Я не зна́ю, где мои ключи.Ya ne znayu, gde moi klyuchi.I don't know where my keys are.
- Я не зна́ю его номера.Ya ne znayu yego nomera.I don't know his number.
- Прости, я не зна́ю ответа.Prosti, ya ne znayu otveta.Sorry, I don't know the answer.
Example conversation
A man and a woman are discussing whether a shop is open.
- Андрей AndreyОльга, ты зна́ешь, открыт ли магазин?Ol'ga, ty znayesh', otkryt li magazin?Olga, do you know if the shop is open?
- Ольга OlgaНет, я не зна́ю.Net, ya ne znayu.No, I don't know.
- Андрей AndreyМожет быть, ты зна́ешь время работы?Mozhet byt', ty znayesh' vremya raboty?Maybe you know the working hours?
- Ольга OlgaК сожалению, я не зна́ю.K sozhaleniyu, ya ne znayu.Unfortunately, I don't know.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I don't know” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
