particle N3 essential casualpolitewritten
について — about / concerning
について
Meaning
- about / concerning / regarding ~ — marks the topic that speaking, thinking, or writing is directed at
Key sentence
日本の歴史について話しましょう。
Let's talk about Japanese history.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | N + について | 環境について |
| Before a noun | N + についての + N | 事故についての報告 |
Examples
この問題について意見を聞かせてください。
Please let me hear your opinion about this issue.
将来について真剣に考えた。
I thought seriously about my future.
彼は事件について何も知らない。
He knows nothing about the incident.
When you can't use it
- To modify a following noun, insert の: 経済についての本 (a book about economics), not ×経済について本.
Notes
- A more formal synonym is に関して / に関する, common in writing and reports.
See について in real sentences
Jengo shows について the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar, A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar.