Word for knowing something as a fact, but not fully comprehending its reality?

I'm thinking of the way a lot of people (myself included) remember information out of a history book: You superficially understand that the information is true, but remembering it doesn't feel like understanding an actual part of reality, it feels like retaining an abstract piece of information. Like you know it's real, but you don't feel that it's real.

I suppose it's generally the kind of extremely shallow awareness you have of something if you've been told about its existence, but haven't observed or experienced it yourself.

Solution 1:

The word you're looking for is

know:

to have knowledge of, regardless of the level of understanding.

To perceive... to recognize... to identify... to distinguish... to be able to recall...

It's the deeper levels of understanding that have other vocab words: understand

To comprehend... to apprehend the meaning or import of... to grasp the idea of...

comprehend

To grasp with the mind... to conceive fully or adequately... to understand... to lay hold of all the points of ~ and include them within the compass of a description or expression...

appreciate