について
About, concerning, on. Marks the topic that an act of speaking, thinking, writing, asking, or researching is directed at.
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A neutral, very common expression used in both speech and writing. It typically pairs with verbs such as 話す, 考える, 書く, 調べる, 聞く, and 思う, including when asking someone's opinion about a person or thing. It is slightly less formal than に関して, which also covers things only loosely related to the topic.
Do not use について for behavior or feelings directed at someone, as in 先生に対して失礼だ; there, use に対して.
Note that directly before a noun the form is についての, as in 日本についての本, not 日本について本.
Learners often confuse について with にとって, which means "for" or "from the standpoint of" rather than "about."
- 1.に関する / に関してN3「に関して」means basically the same as「について」and the two are interchangeable in most cases, but it is more formal and written-style, and covers a broader range of related aspects. When modifying a noun,「に関する」is usually used; in everyday casual conversation,「について」sounds more natural.
- 2.に対してN3「に対して」marks the target of an action, attitude, or feeling, as in「先生に対して親切だ」, and can also express contrast and proportion.「について」introduces the topic content of actions like speaking, thinking, writing, or investigating, so the two are generally not interchangeable.
- 3.にとってN3「にとって」evaluates something from the standpoint of a person or organization, and is typically followed by judgments like「大切だ」or「難しい」.「について」introduces the topic of speaking, thinking, writing, or investigating and is followed by verbs of speech or thought; the two cannot be swapped.
- 4.をめぐってN2「をめぐって」is written-style and is typically followed by multi-party disputes such as「議論」,「対立」, or「交渉」; it cannot take personal actions like「考える」or「調べる」. When simply introducing or explaining a topic, only「について」can be used.
- 5.を中心にN3「を中心に」indicates that some place, group of people, or issue is the center or focus, implying that the scope extends to surrounding or other targets as well.「について」merely points out the topic being discussed and carries no sense of 'with this as the focus'.
に関する / に関して is close in meaning but more formal and broader ("related to"). に対して marks the target that an action or attitude is directed toward, and にとって marks the standpoint from which something is judged. をめぐって marks an issue around which debate or conflict revolves, and を中心に marks the central focus among several elements.
