Due to, per, regarding: 〜につき
N + につき
N + につき: due to (signs, notices), per (一人につき), regarding (本件につき). Very written, administrative register; in speech, you say から, のため, あたり or について.
In short
〜につき is a fixed, very written form with three uses: reason, on signs and notices (工事中につき: “due to works”); distribution, “per” (一人につき千円: 1,000 yen per person); subject, in formal documents (本件につき: “regarding this matter”). Administrative tone: posters, notices, regulations, official letters.
- 工事中につき、駐車場は使用できません。こうじちゅうにつき、ちゅうしゃじょうはしようできません。Car park closed due to works.
- 参加費は一人につき千円です。さんかひはひとりにつきせんえんです。The participation fee is 1,000 yen per person.
- 本日は定休日につき、休業いたします。ほんじつはていきゅうびにつき、きゅうぎょういたします。Closed today for our regular day off.
- 本件につき、ご意見をお聞かせください。ほんけんにつき、ごいけんをおきかせください。Please let us have your views regarding this matter.
The basics
につき comes from the verb つく (“to be attached to”). It's a fixed, very written form, met mostly on signs and in documents. It has three uses: reason (工事中につき), distribution (一人につき) and subject (本件につき).
The first is the one you'll see everywhere in Japan: on a shop door, at a car park entrance, in a station corridor. The message is short, impersonal, almost telegraphic — much like English “Closed due to…”.
Car park closed due to works.
- noun
- grammatical form
- verb
- 清掃中につき、立ち入り禁止。せいそうちゅうにつき、たちいりきんし。Cleaning in progress: no entry.
- 売り切れにつき、本日の営業は終了しました。うりきれにつき、ほんじつのえいぎょうはしゅうりょうしました。Sold out: we've closed for today.
Three uses
For a reason, the noun often ends in 〜中 (工事中, 準備中, 会議中) or names a state (定休日, 売り切れ). For distribution, you find a number and a unit (一人, 一時間, 一枚). For a subject, you find words from official documents: 本件, この点, 上記の件.
| Use | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| reason (signs, notices) | 改装中につき休業 | closed for refurbishment |
| distribution (“per”) | 一人につき千円 | 1,000 yen per person |
| subject (formal documents) | 本件につき | regarding this matter |
- 入場券は、お一人様につき一枚までです。にゅうじょうけんは、おひとりさまにつきいちまいまでです。Maximum one admission ticket per person.
- 上記の件につき、ご確認をお願いいたします。じょうきのけんにつき、ごかくにんをおねがいいたします。Please check the matter mentioned above.
につき, のため, あたり
のため (N4) also gives a reason, in writing and in speech, and it can follow a verb (雨が降ったため). につき nearly always attaches to a noun, and its signboard tone makes it stiff in conversation.
For distribution, あたり (一人あたり) is the everyday equivalent, common in statistics and calculations. につき sounds more like a posted price or rule.
| Expression | Use | Register |
|---|---|---|
| につき | reason, “per”, subject | very written, official notices |
| のため | reason | neutral, written and spoken |
| あたり | “per” (average, calculation) | neutral |
- 大雪のため、電車が遅れています。おおゆきのため、でんしゃがおくれています。Trains are delayed due to heavy snow.
- 一人あたりの食費は、月に三万円ぐらいだ。ひとりあたりのしょくひは、つきにさんまんえんぐらいだ。Food costs are about 30,000 yen per person per month.
Common mistakes
- Using it in ordinary conversation: “今日は雨につき、出かけない” sounds like an official sign. In speech, you say 雨だから.
- Taking it for a plain “about”: outside a few written formulas (本件につき), につき doesn't introduce a topic of conversation; that's the job of について.
- Confusing it with the noun 月 (つき, moon, month): 一人につき has nothing to do with the moon.
7 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N2 point is on the Meikō Line (The economy and trade) of the Nagoya lines.