Translation guide
How to express that something is comprehended, grasped, or gets across in Japanese. The most natural choice depends on whether you mean 'I understand', 'it is understood (by people)', or 'make oneself understood'.
My feelings were understood.
I couldn't make myself understood.
Expressing that a message, meaning, or idea is comprehended by a listener or reader.
Intransitive verb meaning 'to be conveyed', 'to be understood'. Focuses on the message successfully reaching the other person. Very common and natural.
My feelings were understood by him.
Did what I wanted to say get across?
Passive form of 'understand'. More direct and formal than 伝わる. Often used in written or formal contexts.
Intransitive verb meaning 'to be understood', 'to get through'. Often used for language comprehension or when a point gets across.
Potential form of わかる with もらう, meaning 'can get someone to understand'. Emphasizes the speaker's desire or effort to be understood.
I just couldn't get them to understand.
Expressing that something is common knowledge, accepted, or implicitly agreed upon.
Pattern meaning 'it is understood that...'. Formal and suitable for stating accepted facts or interpretations.
It is understood that this rule cannot be changed.
Pattern meaning 'it is understood/arranged that...'. Implies a shared understanding or convention, often without explicit statement.
Noun phrase meaning 'tacit understanding'. Used for unspoken agreements or implicit knowledge.
That's an unspoken understanding.
Expressing the act of successfully communicating one's ideas, especially in a foreign language or difficult situation.
Literally 'convey what one wants to say'. The most natural way to express 'make oneself understood' in Japanese.
It's hard to make myself understood in Japanese.
Formal phrase meaning 'to try to communicate one's intentions'. Used in business or serious contexts.
In casual conversation, you might describe the method: ジェスチャーで伝える (convey with gestures) or 簡単な言葉で説明する (explain with simple words).
伝わる focuses on the message naturally reaching someone (often emotional). 通じる is often used for language or logical understanding. 理解される is more formal and direct, like 'is comprehended'.
feelings get across
English is understood
the theory is understood
Direct translations like 理解される can sound stiff or unnatural in casual speech. Use 伝わる or 通じる for everyday situations.
Did you get what I said?
His opinion was not correctly understood.
私の英語は通じましたか？
Did my English get through? / Was my English understood?
My joke didn't get across.
It is understood that you take off your shoes here.
It's important to make yourself understood in meetings.
When words don't get through, I make myself understood with gestures.