GrammarJLPT N5
→ about
About / Concerning / Regarding
JLPT N5Compound particleNeutral
について is a compound particle used to indicate the topic or subject matter that is being discussed, thought about, researched, or otherwise addressed. It attaches to a noun and is equivalent to English expressions like "about," "concerning," or "regarding." It is used across a wide range of registers, from everyday conversation to formal writing, making it one of the most versatile and commonly encountered topic-marking expressions in Japanese. When について is used to modify a noun directly, it becomes についての (e.g., 日本についての本 "a book about Japan"). A closely related and slightly more formal alternative is に関して, which carries a similar meaning but tends to appear in more academic or official contexts. Another potentially confusing expression is に対して, which means "toward" or "in contrast to" rather than "about," so learners should be careful not to mix them up. について can also carry the secondary meaning of "per" or "for each" in certain contexts, as in 一人について ("per person").
Functions
#1 Indicating the topic of discussion or inquiry
Structure
Noun + について + Verb / Predicate
日本の文化について話しました。
This is the most common use of について. Here, 日本の文化 (Japanese culture) is the topic being discussed, and について marks it as the subject matter of the verb 話しました (talked). The particle clearly signals what the conversation was about, functioning much like the English word "about." This pattern works with a wide range of verbs such as 考える (to think), 調べる (to investigate), 書く (to write), and 聞く (to ask/hear).I talked about Japanese culture.
Structures
- Noun
- Noun + について
- Noun (modifying another noun)
- Noun + についての + Noun
Common mistakes
A frequent mistake is forgetting to add の when using について to modify a noun directly; for example, saying 日本について本 instead of the correct 日本についての本. Another common error is confusing について with に対して; while について means "about" or "concerning," に対して means "toward" or "in contrast to," so they are not interchangeable. Some learners also mistakenly attach について to verbs or adjectives instead of nouns; remember that it always follows a noun or noun phrase. Finally, learners sometimes use について where the simpler particle を would be more natural with certain verbs, such as saying 日本語について勉強する instead of the more natural 日本語を勉強する.
Related
に関してについてのに対してのことでをめぐってに関する