了解 vs 明白 vs 知道 - what is the difference, and when should I use each one?

Question

了解, 明白, and 知道 seem to be fairly synonymous in Mandarin, but there does seem to be some subtle differences between them.

What exactly is the difference? When should I use each one? Could you give me an example sentence to show when each of these terms would be the most appropriate?

Laguna · Answer

知道 = to Know, verb

了解 = to understand, verb

明白 = to be clear, adjective

KoKo · Answer

知道 = Know

了解 = Know clearly

明白 = Know completely

Fivesheep · Answer

知道 means you just know something, you don't need to understand it.
了解, you understand it.
明白, you understand something, and have a clear idea of what it is about.

I think the order of them is: 知道<了解<=明白

for 了解, it can also means 'to investigate'. e.g 小白, 你去了解一下这事情怎么发生的.

了解 vs 明白 vs 知道 - what is the difference, and when should I use each one?

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