～について
Talk about a particular topic
You’ll be able to mark the subject matter of a discussion, question, explanation, or piece of writing.
夜空を見ながら、おじいちゃんが星について話してくれました。
yozora o minagara, ojiichan ga hoshi ni tsuite hanashite kuremashita.
What do you think this sentence means?
While looking at the night sky, Grandpa told us about the stars.
About a topic
～について means “about” or “concerning.” It marks the topic that someone discusses, asks about, studies, writes about, or explains.
日本の祭りについてレポートを書きました。
nihon no matsuri ni tsuite repooto o kakimashita.
I wrote a report about Japanese festivals.
旅行の予定について、家族と話しました。
ryokou no yotei ni tsuite, kazoku to hanashimashita.
I talked with my family about our travel plans.
Put the topic before について
Attach について to a noun. Before another noun, use ～についての, as in 日本文化についての本 (“a book about Japanese culture”).
先生にこの文法について質問しました。
sensei ni kono bunpou ni tsuite shitsumon shimashita.
I asked the teacher a question about this grammar.
「明日のテストについて、何か知ってる？」「範囲がすごく広いらしいよ。」
“ashita no tesuto ni tsuite, nanika shitteru?” “han’i ga sugoku hiroi rashii yo.”
“Do you know anything about tomorrow’s test?” “Apparently it covers a really wide range.”
ホームステイ先の家族に、日本のお正月について説明しました。
hoomusutei saki no kazoku ni, nihon no oshougatsu ni tsuite setsumei shimashita.
I explained Japanese New Year to my host family.
「来月の社員旅行についてのメール、もう読んだ？」「まだ。後で読むよ。」
“raigetsu no shain ryokou ni tsuite no meeru, mou yonda?” “mada. ato de yomu yo.”
“Have you read the email about next month’s company trip yet?” “Not yet. I’ll read it later.”
7 more examples in the grammar path — free for a limited time.