how to say “to know” in Hebrew
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לָדַעַת, לְהַכִּיר
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We know that the human brain has two hemispheres, left and right, that process information in two more or less distinct ways: rationally and emotionally – left and right, respectively.
Modern Hebrew, perhaps unwittingly, employs this distinction in featuring two different words for two different types of “I know”:
לָדַעַת
to know something rational or concrete, such as a phone number – knowledge of a fact
לְהַכִּיר
to know someone or be familiar with something – familiarity, often an opinion
For example:
אֲנִי יוֹדֵעַ שֶׁהִיא הִגִּיעָה לְבֵית הַקָּפֶה כִּי רָאִיתִי אֹתָהּ שָׁם.
I know she came to the coffee shop because I saw her there. (a fact)
הִכַּרְתִּי אֶת רֹאשׁ הָעִיר – הוּא הָיָה אִישׁ טוֹב.
I knew the mayor – he was a good man. (familiarity, an opinion)
לדעת is an active-simple verb of the root י.ד.ע (y.d.a), while להכיר is an active-causative verb of the root נ.כ.ר (n.k.r).
להכיר also means to make acquaintance.
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