This is the 874th most frequent Japanese word.
わかり
Understanding; comprehension.
In this sentence, わかり is the root form of わかる, meaning 'to understand'. It is used in the past tense わかりました, indicating understanding.
彼の説明で問題がすっきりとわかりました。
I clearly understood the problem through his explanation.
In this example, わからない is the negative and hypothetical form of わかる, suggesting a potential lack of understanding.
もしわからないことがあれば、質問してください。
If there's anything you do not understand, please ask.
Here, わかり refers to comprehension or grasping of knowledge, and わかりません is the negative form indicating a lack of understanding.