"我不了解这里的文化。"

Translation: I don't understand the culture here.

[clintack]

So... 懂，明白，了解

What's the difference?

[kuyaC]

I got the same question.

[KX3.]

It's in the usage, for example:

懂不懂？明不明白？ 懂吗？明白吗？ = Do you understand?

了解 is more intellectual and factual, or for something that is not related to emotions.

[maartendoc]

文 (wén) = language/culture
化 (huà) = to make into/to change into
文化 (wénhuà) = culture

---

We learned 化 before in:
变 (biàn) = to change
化 (huà) = to make into/to change into
变化 (biànhuà) = change/to change

We learned 文 before in:
中文 (zhōngwén) = Chinese language

[KCarmine]

Is Duolingo really reading 了 as "liao" or it's just my imagination???

[cafe_disco]

Some characters can be pronounced different ways in different contexts. For example, in the word 觉得, the character 觉 is pronounced "jué"...but in the word 睡觉, it's pronounced "jiào"

[wordgeek416]

了解 is indeed pronounced liǎojiě

[KX3.]

Yes, it's an example of a 多音多义字 (characters with more than one pronunciation and with distinct meaning(s) for each of them).

A common example is 好， pronounced hao3 for good and hao4 for interest, tendency, hobby e.g. 好孩子，勤奋好学乖巧 where the first is hao3 and the second, hao4.

Another is 长 which is pronounced chang2 for long, length and zhang3 for eldest, growth (etc.).

[George792719]

It means 'understand' when written like that. It is explained when you open the lesson (on computer) if you click on the little light globe icon. Something I did not know about for some time when I started this course.

[emma_lara_wen]

This is the exact answer I gave, but was marked down. What the heck ?

[J.Sol.Esp]

The local culture?

[nashih]

Technically, one would add the word “local” here if they want to include that. Not in the sentence. 道地

[ZingGot]

"I don't know the culture here" which it says is wrong, then say's I should written "I don't know the culture here".... Yay.

[Standbymode]

They're printing 了 as 3rd tone but pronouncing as 2nd tone(?)

[chetlin]

With two third tones in a row, the first one becomes a second tone.

[jdceleminm]

I don't understand the culture from this place was not accepted, but I feel it should be.