〜につき: 'Per' / 'Due To' (Meaning + Examples)
Meaning one: "per" a unit
When につき follows a noun of quantity (a dozen, a person, a kilogram), it means "per" — the same job as あたり. It's common in prices, ratios, and rates.
その品物を１ダースにつき３ドルで買う。
その しなものを １ダースにつき ３ドルで かう。
I buy that item at $3 per dozen.
につき = per unit, here per dozen.
今から25年後には、就業者2人につき退職者1人の割合になるだろう。
いまから ２５ねんごには、しゅうぎょうしゃ ２にんにつき たいしょくしゃ １にんの わりあいに なるだろう。
25 years from now, the ratio will probably be one retiree for every two workers.
モチの店では、りんご1個につき50円で売っている。
モチの みせでは、りんご １こにつき ５０えんで うっている。
At Mochi's shop, apples are sold at 50 yen each.
Meaning two: "due to" in formal notices
Attached to a noun that names a reason, につき means "because of / on account of." This use is almost entirely written and formal — signs, notices, business letters — and rarely spoken.
| Attaches to | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Quantity noun | Noun + につき | １ダースにつき (per dozen) |
| Reason noun | Noun + につき | 都合につき (due to circumstances) |
| Set phrase | 〜中/休業 + につき | 工事中につき (due to construction) |
本日、都合につき営業しておりません。
ほんじつ、つごうにつき えいぎょうして おりません。
Due to circumstances, we are not open for business today.
Formal notice register — reason noun + につき.
やったんは風邪につき、本日はお休みをいただきます。
やったんは かぜにつき、ほんじつは おやすみを いただきます。
Due to a cold, Yattan is taking the day off.
A slightly formal, deliberately businesslike tone for humorous effect.
Telling the two meanings apart
Because both use the identical につき, you rely on the noun it's attached to: a countable/measurable noun (people, units, money) signals "per"; an abstract reason noun (circumstances, illness, construction) paired with a formal, notice-like sentence signals "due to."
The short version
- 〜につき = "per" (with a quantity) or "due to / because of" (with a reason, formal register).
- Attaches to: a noun directly, no particle needed before につき.
- Nuance/register: the "due to" sense is written/formal, common on signs and notices.
- Don't confuse with: あたり ("per," more casual) or により ("due to," used in wider contexts, not just fixed notices).
Practice it
Decide whether につき means 'per' or 'due to' based on the noun it follows.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
その品物を１ダース＿＿＿３ドルで買う。
Where 〜につき fits
Shaky on this? Get these solid first
- 〜に行く · N5 — 〜に行く/来る/帰る says you go, come, or return somewhere to do something. Learn the ます-stem + に pattern, suru-nouns like 買い物に行く, and how to mark the place.
More N2 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- 〜ほど — 〜ほど expresses degree or extent — 'to the point that,' as in 目の玉が飛び出るほど高い ('so expensive your eyes pop out'). It measures how far something goes by describing a vivid consequence or comparison.
- 〜に比べて — 〜に比べて attaches to a noun and means 'compared to / in comparison with,' setting up a baseline before stating how something differs from it: 去年に比べて、今年は暑い ('compared to last year, this year is hot').
- 〜というより — 〜というより means 'rather than say [X], it's more accurate to say...' — it corrects or refines a description someone might expect. Often used to swap a first impression for a more precise word.
- 〜限り — 〜限り marks the outer limit of something — 'as long as / as far as ~ is concerned' when attached to a clause with に関する限り(では), or 'every last bit of' in set phrases like あらん限り. Both readings trace back to 限る, 'to be limited to.'
- 〜ては — 〜ては attaches to the て-form and links to a following verb to describe a repeating back-and-forth cycle — 食べては寝る生活 ('a life of eating then sleeping, over and over'). It can also mark an undesirable 'if X, then Y' consequence.
- 〜からには — 〜からには means 'now that... / since...' — given a decision or situation is already true, the speaker draws a strong obligation or determined conclusion from it. Attaches after the plain form of a verb; the main clause carries duty, resolve, or advice.