How to Say "I don't know" in Chinese (Mandarin): 我不知道。

The characters in 我不知道。

• 我

  I, me.

  7 strokes

• 不

  Not.

  4 strokes

• 知

  To know.

• 道

  A road, a way.

  12 strokes

Put 不 (not) before 知道 to say you don't know. 不 changes to second tone here (bù → bú) only before a fourth tone, so it stays bù before zhī.

More examples with 我不知道。

• 我不知道他在哪里。

  我不知道他在哪裡。

  Wǒ bù zhīdào tā zài nǎlǐ.

  I don't know where he is.

• 对不起，我不知道。

  對不起，我不知道。

  Duìbuqǐ, wǒ bù zhīdào.

  Sorry, I don't know.