つく (着く・付く・点く): One Verb, Many Meanings (with Examples)
Why one verb has so many meanings
At first glance "arrive," "stick," and "the light turns on" seem to have nothing in common. But picture the core image: something makes contact with — or settles onto — something else. You reach a station (your body lands at the place). A button sticks to a shirt. Electricity connects to a bulb and the light comes on. In every case, X comes together with Y and stays there.
What makes つく special is that Japanese writes these different shades with different kanji: 着く for arriving, 付く for attaching, 点く for a light coming on. The sound is identical, so in casual writing people often just leave it in kana (つく) and let context decide. Below we'll keep the kanji visible so you can see which meaning is which — but don't panic, at N5 the spoken word is the same every time.
One structural note before the meanings: every つく here is intransitive (it happens to the subject, no doer attached to the verb). Each one has a transitive partner, つける ("to attach / turn on something"), which we'll compare at the end — it's a classic JLPT trap.
The meanings, most common first
1. To arrive / reach (着く)
ヤッタンは九時に駅に着く。
ヤッタンは くじに えきに つく。
Yattan arrives at the station at nine.
着く takes に for the destination: 場所に着く. The place is where you land.
2. To attach / stick / be stuck on (付く)
ヤッタンのシャツにボタンが付いている。
ヤッタンの シャツに ボタンが ついて いる。
A button is attached to Yattan's shirt.
付く is intransitive, so the button is the subject — it does the sticking by itself.
3. To come with / be included (付く)
このセットにはデザートが付く。
この セットには デザートが つく。
This set comes with a dessert.
Same 付く — a dessert is 'attached to' the deal. Very common on menus and ads.
4. To be set / be put on (a price, a mark) (付く)
この絵に高い値段が付いた。
この えに たかい ねだんが ついた。
A high price was put on this painting.
値段が付く = a price gets attached. The price is the subject, not the person setting it.
5. (A light / TV / fire) turns on (点く)
スイッチを押すと電気が点く。
スイッチを おすと でんきが つく。
When you press the switch, the light comes on.
点く is reserved for lights, screens, and fire turning on. Often written in kana as つく.
6. To notice / realize (気がつく)
モチは自分の間違いに気がついた。
モチは じぶんの まちがいに きが ついた。
Mochi noticed his own mistake.
気がつく literally 'spirit attaches' → something lands in your awareness. A very high-value set phrase.
7. To tell (a lie) (嘘をつく)
ヤッタンの弟は嘘をついて先生に叱られた。
ヤッタンの おとうとは うそを ついて せんせいに しかられた。
Yattan's little brother told a lie and was scolded by the teacher.
嘘をつく = to tell a lie. The kanji is technically 吐く (to spit out), but it's almost always written in kana.
And it keeps going from the same "contact / land on" image: 名前がつく (to be named), 力がつく (to gain strength/skill), 都合がつく (to be convenient / manageable), 決心がつく (to make up one's mind). Once the core picture clicks, most of these feel intuitive rather than like new words.
Common collocations worth memorizing
Several つく phrases are so fixed that natives treat them as single chunks. Learn the whole phrase and you'll sound natural fast:
| Collocation | Meaning | Kanji |
|---|---|---|
| 駅に着く | to arrive at the station | 着く |
| ボタンが付く | a button is attached | 付く |
| 値段が付く | a price is set | 付く |
| 電気が点く | the light comes on | 点く |
| 気がつく | to notice / realize | 付く |
| 嘘をつく | to tell a lie | (吐く / kana) |
| 目につく | to catch the eye / stand out | 付く |
Kanji & related verbs
The three everyday kanji each claim a meaning:
- 着く — to arrive (also the 着 in 着る, to wear — a different verb きる).
- 付く — to attach / stick / be included / notice (気がつく). This is the workhorse.
- 点く — a light, screen, or fire turns on.
Because all three are read つく, casual writing very often just uses kana. At N5 you mainly need to recognize the split; you don't have to write the kanji. Watch out for the look-alike 着る (きる) "to wear" — same first kanji, totally different verb. And don't confuse the noun-helper つく with 付ける (つける), the transitive partner below.
つく vs つける — the trap
These two are a transitive/intransitive pair, and the JLPT loves testing them. The difference is whether someone is doing it:
| Form | Core idea | Example |
|---|---|---|
| つく (intransitive) | Something attaches / turns on by itself; the thing is the subject | 電気がつく = the light comes on |
| つける (transitive) | Someone attaches / turns it on; takes a を object | 電気をつける = (I) turn the light on |
A quick test: with つく you use が and just describe a state or event (電気がつく); with つける you use を and can point to the doer (私が電気をつける). Same split for attaching: ボタンがつく "a button comes off/on" vs ボタンをつける "(I) attach a button." Note that つける is a Group 2 (ru-)verb — つけ-る, つけ-て — while intransitive つく is a Group 1 (う-)verb — つい-て.
Quick recap
- One image powers them all: something makes contact with / lands on something else.
- The kanji split the meaning: 着く arrive, 付く attach/include/notice, 点く light turns on.
- It's an intransitive Group 1 (う-)verb; its transitive partner is つける (Group 2).
- High-value chunks: 駅に着く, 気がつく, 電気がつく, 嘘をつく.
- In casual writing つく is often left in kana — context tells you which kanji is meant.
Your turn
Ready to test your N5 vocabulary in context?
Start the 5-question drill →Frequently asked questions
Is つく a ru-verb or u-verb?
Intransitive つく is a Group 1 (う-verb / godan) verb: つく → つき-ます, つい-て, つか-ない. Its transitive partner つける is a Group 2 (ru-verb) — different conjugation.
What is the difference between 着く, 付く, and 点く?
All are read つく but split the meaning: 着く = to arrive (駅に着く), 付く = to attach / stick / come with / notice (ボタンが付く, 気がつく), 点く = a light or screen turns on (電気が点く). In casual writing they are often just written in kana.
What is the difference between つく and つける?
つく is intransitive (something happens by itself, marked が): 電気がつく = the light comes on. つける is transitive (you do it, marked を): 電気をつける = I turn the light on.
Why is 嘘をつく written in kana?
The 'tell a lie' つく is historically 吐く (to spit out), but it is almost always written in kana as 嘘をつく. Don't confuse it with 付く — they are different words that happen to share a sound.