The について Compound Particle: About / Regarding
The について compound particle, meaning "about" or "regarding," marks the topic of speech, thought, writing, or inquiry. It is the neutral default in the JLPT N3 に + V-て compound-particle (複合格助詞) family.12 It is usually the first member of that family learners need to master. It is register-neutral and works with the widest range of host verbs, including mental-state verbs that block its formal twin に関して.3
Overview
について is the unmarked, everyday way to say "about X" in Japanese. The phrase X について selects what an utterance, thought, or text is about, without adding direction or formality.13 Learners meet it at N3, but it appears just as naturally in N4 conversation, news writing, and academic prose.45
What kind of particle is について
について is a 複合格助詞, or compound case particle. It is built from the case particle に plus the て-form of the verb つく, and it behaves as a single postposition.2 The verb inside the compound is つく. Historically, it is written as 就く ("to assume a position") or 付く ("to adhere to, to attach to"). The literal sense is "taking the position of (X)" or "assuming the topic of (X)."16 The kanji form 就いて is rarely written today; the compound is treated as a single lexicalized word and is normally rendered in kana.1
The same morphological family includes に関して, に対して, によって, において, and にとって, each built on a different て-form verb.23
What について adds: it marks the topic of mental or verbal activity
The core meaning is simple: X について means "with X as the topic," that is, about, concerning, or regarding X.14 It picks out what an utterance, thought, writing, study, or investigation is about. It does not add direction (the role of に対して) or formality (the role of に関して).3
この問題についてどう思いますか。4
"What do you think about this problem?"
あなたの国についていろいろと教えてください。4
"Please tell me various things about your country."
JLPT level, register, and frequency
について is an N3 grammar point and a register-neutral form. It fits naturally in N4 conversation, news copy, and academic writing alike.143 Two stylistic siblings extend it upward.
The formal-spoken twin is につきまして, a business-keigo form used in announcements, customer service, and meeting openers.7 The formal-written stub is につき. In its "regarding" reading, it is fixed in signage and official notices. At JLPT N2, it also appears as a separate "due to / per unit" idiom.87 All three forms share the same lemma つく.68
| Form | Register | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|
| について | Neutral (N3 default) | Conversation, news, academic prose |
| につきまして | Polite business keigo | Announcements, customer service, business email |
| につき (regarding) | Formal-written stub | Signage, notices, headings |
| につき (due to / per) | Formal idiom (N2) | Cancellation notices, pricing |
Form and attachment rules
The base form: Noun + について + verb
The default verb-modifying pattern is Noun (or noun phrase) + について + V.14 Hosts can be plain nouns, noun phrases, question words such as 何 or どの問題, and の-nominalized clauses, clauses turned into noun-like phrases, such as 食べることについて.1
The verbs that trigger について cluster into four classes attested in the source corpus:4739
- Speech: 話す, 説明する, 聞く.73
- Thought and mental state: 考える, 思う, 心配する.93
- Inquiry and research: 質問する, 調べる, 研究する.49
- Writing and reporting: 書く, 述べる, 報告する.4
その事件について、知っていることを全部話してください。4
"Please tell me everything you know about that incident."
地球温暖化について考える。9
"Think about global warming."
The noun-modifying form: Noun + についての + Noun
When the about-phrase modifies a following noun, you must insert the attributive の. The pattern is Noun + についての + Noun.1 This contrasts with に関する, which attaches directly to a noun with no linker (歴史に関する本, "a book about history").510
震災についての情報を教えてもらった。1
"I was given information about the earthquake disaster."
アップデートについての説明。7
"An explanation about the update."
The formal-spoken keigo form: につきまして
につきまして is the ます-form of つく inserted into the compound (つき + まして).7 Its register is strictly polite-business and customer-facing keigo: announcements, customer service exchanges, meeting openers, and business email.7 The syntax is identical to について; only the register changes.7
前のお仕事につきまして、もう少し詳しく教えていただけますか。7
"Could you tell me a little more about your previous work?"
本件につきましては、後ほどご連絡いたします。7
"Regarding this matter, I will contact you later."
The formal-written stub form: につき
につき is a frozen ます-stem of つく. It has two readings that share a historical root but behave as separate grammar items in modern Japanese.89
Reading 1 is the "regarding" stub. It is a formal-written variant of について seen in signage, headings, and official notices, where 本件につき is read as 本件について.7 The topic-marking function is the same.
Reading 2 is "due to / per unit," treated at JLPT N2 as a separate idiom.8 The "due to / on account of" sense marks causes in formal-written notices (工事中につき通行止め, "closed due to construction"). The "per / for each" sense expresses rates and distribution (100円につき5ポイント, "five points per 100 yen").8
工事中につき、迂回してください。8
"Due to construction, please take a detour."
百円につき五ポイントもらえる。8
"You get five points for every 100 yen."
What について cannot do
について cannot modify a following noun without の. The noun-modifying form requires についての, as shown above.1 It also cannot mark a directional target or contrast. That role belongs to に対して, where the verb 対する supplies a "facing / against" reading that つく does not.3 It also cannot replace the case particle に inside lexical verbs that select に. The string 学校について行く parses as 学校に + 付いて行く ("follow [someone] to school"), the lexical verb 付いて行く, not the compound particle.9
Nuance and usage contexts
Function 1: neutral topic of speech, writing, and research
The default everyday use of について is to mark the topic of an act such as 話す, 書く, 研究する, 説明する, or 調べる.34 It carries no register signal, directionality, or contrast.3
日本の文化について知りたい。3
"I want to know about Japanese culture."
ベトナムの観光地について調べています。4
"I am researching tourist attractions in Vietnam."
Function 2: topic of thought and inner mental state
について is compatible with verbs of thought and emotion such as 考える, 思う, 心配する, and 悩む.93 This contrast makes について the safe default at N3. The formal twin に関して generally does not govern these verbs, so using に関して with 思う or 考える sounds awkward.310
地球温暖化について考える。9
"To think about global warming."
日本の教育について考える。3
"To think about Japanese education."
Function 3: topic of inquiry and consultation
について marks the topic of a question, a consultation, or a request for elaboration, and is common in classroom, office, and journalistic settings.47
この文法について質問があります。7
"I have a question about this grammar."
明日の予定について、相談しましょう。7
"Let's discuss tomorrow's plans."
Function 4: topic marker for written headings and presentations
について also acts as a stand-alone caption in titles, slide headings, and agenda items.79 A paper or slide can be labeled simply 「環境問題について」 ("On environmental issues"). A meeting agenda item can use the same bracketed form.
原因についてはまだ調査中です。1
"Regarding the cause, investigation is still ongoing."
について vs に関して: register and the thought-verb rule
に関して is the formal-written twin of について, built on the verb 関する ("to relate to").510 Two practical differences separate them.
The first is register. に関して is markedly more formal than について and is rare in casual conversation; it belongs in reports, business writing, and academic prose, while について is neutral across speech and writing.510
The second is a strong pedagogical constraint: に関して generally does not govern verbs of pure mental state such as 思う, 考える, 感じる, or 悩む, whereas について does.3 The standard production rule in teaching sources is to default to について whenever the verb is a thought verb.3 Teaching materials strongly attest this constraint, but it is a strong tendency rather than an absolute syntactic prohibition.
The noun-modifying forms differ too: に関する takes a following noun directly with no linker (歴史に関する本), while についての N requires の (歴史についての本).510
ダンスに関する本が机の上にあります。5
"There is a book about dance on the desk."
環境に関して、質問はありますか。5
"Regarding the environment, do you have questions?"
× 日本の教育に関して考える. The correct form is 日本の教育について考える. With thought verbs (思う, 考える, 感じる, 悩む), について is the safe default.3
について vs に対して: topic vs target
に対して is built on 対する ("to face, to stand against") and marks a target or contrast, not a topic.3 It encodes emotion, attitude, or action directed at someone or something. It can also include adversarial relations.3 The directionality lives in 対する itself. について cannot substitute.3
姉はいつも妹に対して怒っている。3
"The older sister is always angry at the younger sister."
について vs に関して vs に対して: the cluster in one map
The three particles divide the "about" and "target" space along three axes: the etymological verb, the function, and the register tier. Holding the verb roots visible (つく, 関する, 対する) makes the splits feel motivated rather than memorized.
| Compound | Verb root | Function | Register | Thought verbs (思う, 考える) | Noun-modifying form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| について | つく (就く / 付く) "assume the position of" | Neutral topic of speech, thought, writing, inquiry | Neutral (N3 default) | OK | についての + N |
| に関して | 関する "relate to" | Formal topic, especially in writing | Formal-written | Generally blocked | に関する + N (no の) |
| に対して | 対する "face, stand against" | Directional target, contrast, opposition | Neutral to formal | Not a topic marker | に対する + N (no の) |
Sources: について as the neutral baseline and a 複合格助詞 family member;12 に関して formality and noun-modifying form;510 the thought-verb constraint on に関して;3 に対して target and contrast function with 対する.3
Good to know
についての requires の; に関する does not
When the compound particle ends in て, insert の before the following noun: 環境についての議論, not ×環境について議論. When the related form ends in する or its dictionary form (に関する, における, に対する), no の is needed: 歴史に関する本.1510 The generalization holds across the に + V-て / に + V-する compound-particle family.2 The correct form for the example above is:
環境についての議論。1
"A discussion about the environment."
について is neutral, not casual, and there is no plain-speech tier below it
Learners sometimes treat について as formal and look for a "casual" version. None exists in standard Japanese. について sits at the neutral floor of the register column and serves both polite-spoken (です・ます) and plain-conversational registers.35 In very casual speech the topic is dropped entirely or shifted to は (e.g., 試合は…) rather than expressed with a compound particle.3
について cannot mean "stick to" by itself; parse by the host
Although the etymological verb is つく ("adhere / assume position"), the compound has lexicalized, meaning it now functions as a fixed word. The lexical verb 付いて行く ("follow someone") remains an independent verb in its own right.96 The parsing rule is simple: noun + について + verb of speech or thought is the compound particle. A verb of motion that takes a に-marked goal is the lexical 付いて行く. The kanji writings 就く and 付く are best treated as orthographic variants of the same stem つく rather than as distinct verbs.
Use について for conversations, に関して for reports
A useful production rule for intermediate writers is this: if the surrounding sentence is です・ます polite-spoken or plain-conversational, default to について. If it is a business email, an academic abstract, or a 〜である written register, switch to に関して (or に関する before a noun).510 Mixing the two tiers inside a single paragraph reads as stylistically inconsistent.5
Why に対して is sometimes mistranslated as "about"
English "about" covers both topics ("an opinion about X") and targets ("a policy about X"). For that reason, textbooks sometimes loosely gloss に対して as "about" when the Japanese is really marking a target.3 In Japanese the two readings do not collapse. A substitution test resolves it: if "toward" or "against" works in English, the Japanese is に対して; if only "concerning" works, it is について.3
Mnemonic anchors for the three verbs
つく (付く / 就く, "stick to, assume position of") gives について its neutral, direct topic-marker feel: it sticks to whatever the topic is.61 関する ("relate to") gives に関して its more abstract, formal-written feel: it links by relation rather than direct attachment.5 対する ("face, stand against") gives に対して its directional and sometimes adversarial feel: it faces a target rather than naming a topic.3
につき has two unrelated readings, and they should not be blended
Reading 1 is the "regarding" stub. 本件につき is read as 本件について and belongs to the formal-written register of signage and official notices.7 Reading 2 is "due to / per unit," a separate idiom treated at JLPT N2. It is historically derived from つく but functionally distinct.8 In the second reading 大雨につき中止 means "cancelled due to heavy rain," and 1人につき1枚 means "one per person."8 The two readings share a surface string and a historical root, but only the first is a topic marker.89
See also
- Japanese Particles (助詞): The Eight Categories Explained
- How to Write a Japanese Business Email: Keigo Guide
- Parts of Speech in Japanese: The 10 Classes (品詞)
- How Japanese Grammar Works: A Big-Picture Overview