How to Say “I do not know” in Chinese
Feelings and opinions · HSK 1
"I do not know" in Chinese is 我不知道 (wǒ bù zhī dào). 我不知道 (wǒ bù zhīdào, "I do not know") is the factual confession of ignorance. 不清楚 (bù qīngchu, "not clear") is softer; "I am not sure / I do not have clarity on this"; preferred in professional or polite contexts.
Primary translation
我不知道
wǒ bù zhī dào
Variants by register
Casual
不清楚
bù qīng chu
When to use it
我不知道 (wǒ bù zhīdào, "I do not know") is the factual confession of ignorance. 不清楚 (bù qīngchu, "not clear") is softer; "I am not sure / I do not have clarity on this"; preferred in professional or polite contexts. 不了解 (bù liǎojiě) implies "I am not familiar" about a topic. For a straight refusal to guess use 说不上 (shuōbushàng, "cannot say"). Chinese speakers are often reluctant to say a bare 不知道 in service contexts; 不清楚 is seen as more polite.
Example sentences
对不起，我不知道。
Duìbuqǐ, wǒ bù zhīdào.
Sorry, I do not know.
这个我不太清楚。
Zhège wǒ bú tài qīngchu.
I am not very clear on this.
你问她吧，我不了解。
Nǐ wèn tā ba, wǒ bù liǎojiě.
Ask her, I am not familiar with it.