know (a person)
Native recording
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- 1 know (a person)、be acquainted with、get to know
- 2 know (a place or thing)、be familiar with
- 3 know enough to do something、have the sense to do something
Describes knowing someone or being familiar with a place, thing, or idea through prior contact or experience. It can also mean having the good sense to act appropriately.
know (a person)、be acquainted with、get to know
Expresses knowing a person through previous contact or acquaintance, rather than merely knowing facts about them.
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ฉันรู้จักเขา chǎn rúucàk khǎw I know him. ฉันรู้จักเขา details
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ยินดีที่ได้รู้จัก yindii thîi dây rúucàk Nice to meet you. ยินดีที่ได้รู้จัก details
know (a place or thing)、be familiar with
Expresses familiarity with a place, thing, work, or idea through previous exposure or experience.
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รู้จักร้านนี้ไหม rúucàk ráan níi mǎy Do you know this restaurant? รู้จักร้านนี้ไหม details
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ฉันไม่รู้จักเพลงนี้ chǎn mây rúucàk phleeŋ níi I don't know this song. ฉันไม่รู้จักเพลงนี้ details
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เขารู้จักกรุงเทพฯ ดี khǎw rúucàk kruŋthêep dii He knows Bangkok well. เขารู้จักกรุงเทพฯ ดี details
know enough to do something、have the sense to do something
Placed before another verb, it describes having the good sense or habit to act in an appropriate way.
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ต้องรู้จักคิด tɔ̂ŋ rúucàk khít You need to learn to think for yourself. ต้องรู้จักคิด details
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เขารู้จักประหยัดเงิน khǎw rúucàk prayàt ŋən He knows how to be careful with money. เขารู้จักประหยัดเงิน details
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รู้จักขอโทษบ้าง rúucàk khɔ̌ɔ thôot bâaŋ Learn to apologize once in a while. รู้จักขอโทษบ้าง details
Learning notes
Explanation
The central idea of รู้จัก is that someone or something is known through previous contact or experience. With a person, it usually means being acquainted; with a place or thing, it means being familiar with it. The object follows directly, as in รู้จักเขา “know him.” รู้จักกัน means “know each other,” while ไม่รู้จัก means “not know” or “not be acquainted with.” Before another verb, as in รู้จักคิด, it goes beyond knowledge of a method and suggests having the judgment or habit to behave appropriately. Although it contains รู้ “to know” and จัก, learners will find it most useful to treat รู้จัก as a single modern verb.
Usage
It is common when asking about mutual acquaintances, meeting someone through an introduction, or checking whether someone is familiar with a restaurant, place, song, product, or similar subject. ยินดีที่ได้รู้จัก is the standard “Nice to meet you” expression. The รู้จัก-plus-verb pattern often appears in advice, teaching, evaluation, or criticism about behaving sensibly.
Caution
รู้จัก cannot replace every use of “know.” Use รู้ for knowing a fact, answer, or information, and ทราบ when a more polite or formal wording is appropriate. For example, “know the answer” is รู้คำตอบ. With a person as its object, รู้จักเขา normally means “be acquainted with him,” not merely “know information about him.”
Differences from similar words
1 know (a person) synonyms
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จำได้ means to remember or recognize someone previously seen or heard. รู้จัก means to know the person or be acquainted with them.
2 know (a place or thing) synonyms
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ทราบ is a polite or somewhat formal verb used mainly for knowing or being informed of facts. รู้จัก is neutral and emphasizes familiarity with a place or thing.
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รู้ is the general verb for knowing a fact, answer, or piece of information. รู้จัก is used when something is known through familiarity or previous exposure.