わかる、分かる、判る，解る - essential difference?


I've been coming across these three lately in a visual novel that I've been
using to try to learn to read Japanese, and it seems their usage is not that
interchangeable.

I'd like to confirm/deny if my intuition is correct.

解る seems to be quite dry, esp. when used to address the speaker in a "you get
it?", patronizing manner. 分かる seems mostly neutral, worldly and
interchangeable with わかる. As for 判る, I'm not really sure. Is it to just
ascertain [already suspected
facts](http://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1248678842),
e.g. time/weather? [This
post](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/1659/how-should-i-choose-
between-%E7%9F%A5%E3%81%97%E3%82%8B-and-%E3%82%8F%E3%81%8B%E3%82%8B) helped to
get the general gist about 分かる. This was
[useful](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/89/whats-the-difference-
between-the-kanji-forms-for-%E3%82%8F%E3%81%8B%E3%82%8B) in a way but I feel
like it's only scratching the surface.

For example, 話がわかる seems like an expression without any imbedded [negative
connotation](http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/leaf/jn2/178317/m0u/), i.e. a type
that 'gets it', much worldly wisdom and such. However, here, 話の解る seems to be
more like 'you get it' in a dry, patronizing manner - is that down to the
choice of Kanji in わかる, or simply context?

> A.「え―ちょっ、止めてよ、たしかに色々言い合ったけど、そんなのケンカ両成敗｛りょうせいばい｝っていうか……」
>
> B.「そうか。いや、話の解るマスターで助かった」
>
> A.「……なんか、切り返し早いわねアンタ」

NB: A is B's master [マスタ] (it's a novel about magi and their hero-like
familiars).

It's obvious from A's follow-up that she's frustrated with B's cheekiness.
Would replacing 解る with say わかる make B's phrase it a lot more mild on A (as
in, I'm relieved I got a down to earth マスタ, buddy buddy way)?

I would be grateful if someone could confirm/deny my intuition about 解る and
clarify the essential usage of 判る. Resorting to Japanese sources isn't very
helpful as they seem to refer back and forth to ideas that are already assumed
to be intuitive to the speaker (and probably differ in the ways an English
language-speaking person would interpret that idea, as is the case with any
foreign language).

Thank you.




> Would replacing 解る with say わかる make B's phrase it a lot more mild on A

No. 解る can be used whenever わかる is used for the 理解する meaning, as the case is
in 話がわかる, so as far as kanji choice vs context goes, I'd say context.

As for 判る, think 判明する or 判断する.

When in doubt, you can use 分かる for all of them with no repercussions.

Sidenote: Some writers like to be extra fancy/precise/"tryhard" with their
kanji use (this can be particularly conspicuous in some visual novels). Read
enough things and you'll get used to it. It's fun to think about sometimes,
but for the most part, don't let it get in your way of understanding the
bigger story.




> Would replacing 解る with say わかる make B's phrase it a lot more mild on A

No. 解る can be used whenever わかる is used for the 理解する meaning, as the case is
in 話がわかる, so as far as kanji choice vs context goes, I'd say context.

As for 判る, think 判明する or 判断する.

When in doubt, you can use 分かる for all of them with no repercussions.

Sidenote: Some writers like to be extra fancy/precise/"tryhard" with their
kanji use (this can be particularly conspicuous in some visual novels). Read
enough things and you'll get used to it. It's fun to think about sometimes,
but for the most part, don't let it get in your way of understanding the
bigger story.

