分かる

From Old Japanese. Derived as the passive or intransitive conjugation of Old Japanese root verb 分く (waku, “to separate, to break into pieces; to be separable or distinguishable”). Compare 分(わ)ける (wakeru).

• (Tokyo) わか​る [wàkáꜜrù] (Nakadaka – [2])[1][2]
• IPA^(key): [ɰᵝa̠ka̠ɾɯ̟ᵝ]

分(わ)かる • (wakaru) intransitive godan (stem 分(わ)かり (wakari), past 分(わ)かった (wakatta))

1. 分かる, 解る: (...が...に~) to understand, to be understandable

   はい、分(わ)かりました。

   Hai, wakarimashita.

   Yes. I understood.

2. 分かる: to tell (one thing from another), to distinguish
3. 分かる, 判る: to recognize, to realize
   • 2011, Barack Obama, 中東と北アフリカに関するバラク・オバマの演説, translation of "Remarks by the President on the Middle East and North Africa":

     これがどれほど困難(こんなん)であるかは判(わか)っている。

     Kore ga dore hodo konnan de aru ka wa wakatte iru.

     I recognize how hard this will be.

   分(わ)かった！

   Wakatta!

   I've got it! / I know!

4. 分かる: to become known, to turn out

The Japanese verb wakaru is most often glossed as to understand. However, wakaru is intransitive, and it takes the thing that is understood, distinguished, or recognized as the subject (usually marked by particle が (ga)), and not the object (usually marked by particle を (o)). Strictly speaking, wakaru is thus closer to English to be understandable, as the verb wakaru describes the thing itself, unlike English to understand, which describes the action of the person doing the understanding, distinguishing, or recognizing.

Wakaru can take an agent (what would be the subject of the English verb to understand) marked by the particle に (ni).

• *私が分かる (incorrect, ❌)
• 私に分かる (correct, ✔)
• 複雑(ふくざつ)でも、（私(わたし)に）この事情(じじょう)が分(わ)かる。

  Fukuzatsu de mo, (watashi ni) kono jijō ga wakaru.

  Although it's complicated, this situation is understandable (to me).

Compare the difference in usage of transitive verb 知る (shiru, “to know”).