other N4 common casualpolitewritten
〜に気がつく — to notice ~
〜に気がつく ・ にきがつく
Meaning
- to notice ~ / to realize ~ — to become aware of something (the thing noticed is marked に)
Key sentence
自分の間違いに気がついた。
I noticed my own mistake.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun に / Clause + ことに + 気がつく | N に気がつく / 〜ことに気がつく | 忘れ物に気がつく (notice you've forgotten something) |
Examples
彼は私の小さな変化にすぐ気がついた。
He noticed my small change right away.
財布がないことに気がついて、慌てた。
I realized my wallet was gone and panicked.
When you can't use it
- The thing you notice is marked に, not を or が: ミスに気がつく, never ミスを気がつく. For a whole event, nominalize with こと: 鍵をかけ忘れたことに気がついた.
Easily confused with
Notes
- 気づく is a single-verb synonym (〜に気づく), a little more concise and common in writing.
See 〜に気がつく in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜に気がつく the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled from published Japanese grammar references.