you know what I mean
Appeal for understanding
You know what I mean is a phrase seeking confirmation that the listener understands, often when the speaker feels they've explained something imperfectly or touched on something hard to articulate: It's not that I don't like her, it's just... you know what I mean?
It can also function as filler, punctuating statements without really asking anything.
Sometimes shortened to know what I mean or compressed into y'know what I mean or knowwhatimean.
- contextCircumstances shaping meaning
- clarificationMaking meaning plain
- empathySharing another's emotions
- confirmationEstablishing something as true
- presuppositionImplicit prior assumption
rapport · slang · idiom · trust-building · inside joke · inference · reading between lines · vernacular · street talk · turn-taking · alignment · catchphrase · understanding · emphasis · agreement · casual speech · common ground · same wavelength
you know what I meanlet me explain
Preface to a breakdown
to be specific · in other words · to put it another way · to clarify · more precisely
know, what, mean, yourself, yourselves, known, knowing, knowledge, knowledgeable