One of the most confusing aspects of Japanese grammar for English speakers is the verb「わかる」(wakaru). If you’ve ever wondered why we say「日本語がわかる」instead of「日本語をわかる」or struggled with this fundamental grammar point, you’re not alone! This comprehensive guide will transform your understanding of this essential Japanese verb.

Whether you’re studying Japanese in Vancouver, preparing for the JLPT, or just trying to make sense of anime dialogue, mastering「わかる」is crucial for natural Japanese communication. Let’s dive deep into why this verb behaves so differently from English “understand.”

📋 Quick Summary: The「わかる」Essentials

🎯 Key Point: わかる is NOT an active verb like “eat” or “drink”
✅ Correct Usage: 日本語がわかる (Japanese is understandable)
❌ Common Mistake: 日本語をわかる (grammatically wrong)
🔑 Grammar Type: Stative/non-active verb describing a state, not an action
💡 English Equivalent: “to be understandable” rather than “to understand”

✅ Quick Answer: The わかる Rule

The Japanese verb 「わかる」(wakaru) is not an active verb like “eat” or “drink.” Instead, it functions more like “to be understandable” or “to become clear.” In Japanese grammar, this distinction is crucial for correct sentence construction.

The Golden Rule:

• ❌ Wrong: 私は日本語をわかる。
• ✅ Correct: 日本語がわかる。

Why This Matters: Understanding this fundamental difference will immediately improve your Japanese grammar and help you sound more natural. It’s one of those “aha!” moments that transforms how you approach Japanese sentence structure.

❓ What Kind of Verb Is「わかる」?

✅ Not an Active Verb (Unlike「食べる」「する」)

In English, “understand” feels like something you actively do. But in Japanese, 「わかる」belongs to a different category called “stative” or “non-active” verbs (状態動詞 – jōtai dōshi).

🔍 Understanding Verb Categories:

Active Verbs (動作動詞 – dōsa dōshi):

These describe actions that someone actively performs.

Japanese	Romaji	English	Example
食べる	taberu	to eat	りんごを食べる (eat an apple)
飲む	nomu	to drink	水を飲む (drink water)
する	suru	to do	宿題をする (do homework)
読む	yomu	to read	本を読む (read a book)
書く	kaku	to write	手紙を書く (write a letter)

Non-Active/Stative Verbs (状態動詞 – jōtai dōshi):

These describe states, conditions, or things that “happen to” the subject.

Japanese	Romaji	English	Example
ある	aru	to exist (things)	机の上に本がある
いる	iru	to exist (people/animals)	部屋に人がいる
疲れる	tsukareru	to become tired	疲れた (I became tired)
わかる	wakaru	to be understandable	日本語がわかる
できる	dekiru	to be possible/able	日本語ができる

🎯 Key Insight: The thing that “becomes understandable” is the grammatical subject, not the person doing the understanding!

✅ Why Do We Say「日本語がわかる」and Not「日本語をわかる」?

The Grammatical Logic

Native Japanese Sentence Structure:

• Correct: 日本語がわかる。 (Japanese is understandable to me.)
• Wrong: 日本語をわかる。 (This is unnatural and ungrammatical.)

👉 The Reason: Because the thing that becomes understandable is the grammatical subject, marked with が (ga).

Particle Deep Dive

が (ga) – Subject Marker:

• Marks what performs the action or experiences the state
• In「日本語がわかる」, Japanese is the thing “being understandable”

を (wo) – Direct Object Marker:

• Marks what receives the action of a transitive verb
• Used with active verbs like「食べる」「読む」「する」

Visual Comparison:

Active Verb Structure:

私は + りんごを + 食べる

(I + apple [object] + eat)

Stative Verb Structure:

(私には) + 日本語が + わかる

([To me] + Japanese [subject] + is understandable)

More Examples of Similar Patterns

Stative Verb	Correct Usage	Incorrect Usage
わかる (understand)	数学がわかる	❌ 数学をわかる
できる (can do)	日本語ができる	❌ 日本語をできる
聞こえる (can hear)	音楽が聞こえる	❌ 音楽を聞こえる
見える (can see)	山が見える	❌ 山を見える

✅ Expert Linguistic Insights

Jay Rubin’s Perspective

Jay Rubin, renowned translator of Haruki Murakami’s works, explains in his book “Making Sense of Japanese”:

“People don’t wakaru things; things themselves do wakaru: they ‘are clear’ or ‘are understandable.’“

This insight revolutionizes how we think about「わかる」!

Traditional Translation: “I understand Japanese” Better Understanding: “Japanese is clear/understandable (to me)”

Academic Linguistic Analysis

Professor Haruko Minegishi Cook from the University of Hawaii explains that「わかる」belongs to a class of verbs called “experiencer-subject verbs” where:

1. The experiencer (person) is marked with は or には
2. The stimulus (thing being understood) is marked with が
3. The verb describes a mental state rather than an action

Sentence Structure Breakdown:

私には日本語がわかる

私には (watashi ni wa) – “to me” (experiencer)

日本語が (nihongo ga) – “Japanese” (stimulus/subject)

わかる (wakaru) – “is understandable” (stative verb)

✅ The Topic Marker Mystery: 私は日本語がわかる

Where Does “I” Fit In?

Many learners wonder: “If 日本語 is the subject, where does ‘I’ go in the sentence?”

The Complete Answer:

Form 1: 私は日本語がわかる。 Form 2: 私には日本語がわかる。

Grammar Breakdown:

• 私は (watashi wa) – “As for me” (topic marker)
• 私には (watashi ni wa) – “To me” (indirect object + topic)
• 日本語が (nihongo ga) – “Japanese” (subject)
• わかる (wakaru) – “is understandable”

Topic vs. Subject: The Critical Difference

Topic (は): Sets the context – “speaking about X”
Subject (が): Performs the action or experiences the state

English Equivalent: “As for me, Japanese is understandable.” “To me, Japanese is clear.”

Casual Speech Patterns

In everyday conversation, Japanese speakers often drop particles:

Formal: 私は日本語がわかります。
Casual: 日本語わかる？ (Do you understand Japanese?)
Response: わかるよ。 (Yeah, I understand.)

✅ Dictionary Definitions and Usage Examples

Official Dictionary Definitions

According to Digital Daijisen Dictionary (Shogakukan):

1. To understand/comprehend (理解する)

• Example: わけがわからない。(It doesn’t make sense.)
• Context: Mental comprehension of concepts

2. To become clear/to find out/to learn (明らかになる)

• Example: 犯人の身元がわかる。(To find out the criminal’s identity.)
• Example: 問題の答えがわかる。(To discover the answer to the problem.)
• Context: Information becoming known

3. To realize/to notice (気づく)

• Example: 間違いがわかった。(I realized the mistake.)
• Context: Sudden awareness or recognition

Contextual Usage Examples

Academic Context:

• この理論がよくわかります。(I understand this theory well.)
• 数学がまったくわからない。(I don’t understand math at all.)

Daily Life:

• 道がわからない。(I don’t know the way.)
• 彼の気持ちがわかる。(I understand his feelings.)

Discovery/Realization:

• 真実がわかった。(The truth became clear.)
• やっとわかりました！(I finally got it!)

✅ Does わかる Have a Potential Form?

The Short Answer: No!

「わかる」already contains the meaning of “can understand.” There is no such word as「わかれる」 in standard Japanese for this usage.

Why No Potential Form?

Linguistic Reason: Since「わかる」is already a stative verb describing capability or state, adding a potential form would be redundant.

Think of it this way:

• 食べる (eat) → 食べられる (can eat) ✅
• わかる (be understandable) → わかれる ❌ (doesn’t exist)

Alternative Expressions for Emphasis

If you really want to emphasize “ability to understand,” you can use:

理解できる (rikai dekiru) → “I am able to comprehend”

• この説明が理解できますか？ (Can you comprehend this explanation?)
• 複雑な理論も理解できる。 (I can even understand complex theories.)

把握できる (haaku dekiru) → “I am able to grasp”

• 状況が把握できない。 (I can’t grasp the situation.)

But Usually: Just「わかる」is perfectly sufficient and natural!

✅ Complete Usage Guide with Examples

Basic Patterns

Pattern 1: Simple Understanding

[Thing]がわかる

日本語がわかる。 (I understand Japanese.)

数学がわかる。 (I understand math.)

Pattern 2: With Topic Marker

私は[Thing]がわかる

私は英語がわかります。 (I understand English.)

彼は音楽がよくわかる。 (He understands music well.)

Pattern 3: With Indirect Object

私には[Thing]がわかる

私にはその気持ちがわかる。 (I understand those feelings.)

子供にはこの話がわからない。 (Children don’t understand this story.)

Politeness Levels

Formality	Present	Past	Negative
Casual	わかる	わかった	わからない
Polite	わかります	わかりました	わかりません
Super Polite	わかります	わかりました	わかりません

Advanced Usage Patterns

Degree of Understanding:

• よくわかる (understand well)
• 少しわかる (understand a little)
• 全然わからない (don’t understand at all)
• だいたいわかる (understand roughly)

Temporal Aspects:

• やっとわかった (finally understood)
• もうわかった (already understood)
• まだわからない (still don’t understand)

Emotional Nuances:

• よくわかるよ (I totally get it – sympathetic)
• わかるわかる (I know, right! – agreement)
• わからないでもない (I can sort of understand)

✅ Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Mistake #1: Using を Instead of が

❌ Wrong: 私は日本語をわかる。 ✅ Correct: 私は日本語がわかる。

Fix Strategy: Remember that the thing being understood is the subject, not the object.

Mistake #2: Creating Non-Existent Potential Forms

❌ Wrong: 日本語がわかれる。 ✅ Correct: 日本語がわかる。

Fix Strategy: わかる already means “can understand” – no potential form needed.

Mistake #3: Confusing with 知る (shiru)

わかる vs. 知る:

• わかる: Understand/comprehend (process of understanding)
• 知る: Know (factual knowledge)

Examples:

• 彼の名前を知っている。 (I know his name.) – factual knowledge
• 彼の気持ちがわかる。 (I understand his feelings.) – comprehension

Mistake #4: Wrong Word Order

❌ Awkward: わかる日本語が私は。 ✅ Natural: 私は日本語がわかる。

Fix Strategy: Follow standard Japanese word order: Topic – Subject – Verb

Mistake #5: Overusing Pronouns

❌ Unnatural: 私は私の日本語がわかる。 ✅ Natural: 日本語がわかる。

Fix Strategy: Japanese often omits obvious pronouns – context makes it clear.

📝 Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Choose the Correct Particle

Fill in the blanks with が or を:

1. 私は英語____わかります。
2. この問題____わかりますか？
3. 彼女は音楽____よくわかる。
4. 子供には難しい話____わからない。
5. やっと答え____わかった！

Answers: 1. が 2. が 3. が 4. が 5. が

Exercise 2: Translate Correctly

Translate these English sentences, paying attention to わかる structure:

1. I understand French.
2. Do you understand this explanation?
3. She doesn’t understand mathematics.
4. Finally, I understand the meaning.
5. Children can’t understand this movie.

Sample Answers:

1. フランス語がわかる。/ 私はフランス語がわかります。
2. この説明がわかりますか？
3. 彼女は数学がわからない。
4. やっと意味がわかった。
5. 子供にはこの映画がわからない。

Exercise 3: Natural Responses

How would you naturally respond in Japanese?

Question: 日本語がわかりますか？

Possible Responses:

• はい、少しわかります。 (Yes, I understand a little.)
• いいえ、全然わかりません。 (No, I don’t understand at all.)
• まだよくわかりません。 (I still don’t understand well.)

📚 Quick Reference Guide

Essential Patterns

✅ [Thing]がわかる

✅ 私は[Thing]がわかる

✅ 私には[Thing]がわかる

❌ [Thing]をわかる

❌ わかれる (doesn’t exist)

Common Expressions

Expression	Meaning	Usage
よくわかる	understand well	私はその気持ちがよくわかる
全然わからない	don’t understand at all	数学が全然わからない
やっとわかった	finally understood	やっと答えがわかった
まだわからない	still don’t understand	まだよくわからない

Politeness Forms

Level	Present	Past	Negative
Casual	わかる	わかった	わからない
Polite	わかります	わかりました	わかりません

Related Verbs

Verb	Reading	Meaning	Particle
知る	shiru	to know	を
理解する	rikai suru	to comprehend	を
把握する	haaku suru	to grasp	を
覚える	oboeru	to memorize	を

🎯Master わかる for Natural Japanese

Understanding「わかる」correctly is a major milestone in your Japanese learning journey. This single verb teaches you fundamental principles about Japanese grammar that apply to many other stative verbs.

Key Takeaways:

1. わかる is NOT an active verb – it describes a state, not an action
2. Use が, never を – the thing understood is the subject
3. No potential form needed – わかる already means “can understand”
4. Context matters – わかる can mean understand, realize, or find out

Practice Tip: Start using わかる correctly in your daily Japanese practice. Every time you want to say “I understand X,” remember: X がわかる!

Ready to Apply This Knowledge? Join NihongoKnow’s grammar workshops where we break down confusing Japanese grammar points just like this one. Our Vancouver-based instructors specialize in helping English speakers master these tricky concepts through clear explanations and plenty of practice.

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