〜につけ (~ni tsuke) — whenever (I see/hear) … I feel
The feeling that rises every time you see or hear something — 「写真を見るにつけ、国を思い出す」(whenever I see the photo, I think of home).
Formula (सूत्र ढाँचा)
Grammar rule (व्याकरण नियम र परिभाषा)
When to use it
- You open your phone at night, a photo of the family in Nepal appears, and every time your heart grows heavy — in Japanese, 「家族の写真を見るにつけ、早く会いたくなる」.
- It is a bit written: it sounds right in essays, letters and speeches; chatting with friends, 「たびに」is the easy choice.
Meaning
- 「〜につけ(て)」= 'whenever I see/hear this, I always feel …'.
- Before it usually comes a 'see/hear' verb such as 見る・聞く・読む・思う, and after it a movement of the heart (思い出す・心配になる・反省する・不安を感じる).
- A phrase you hear constantly: 「何かにつけ(て)」= 'on every little occasion' — 「母は何かにつけて電話してくる」.
How to attach
- Dictionary form + につけ(て)
- 「につけて」and「につけ」mean the same; につけ is shorter and more common in writing.
Versus what you know
- N3「〜たびに」(会うたびに) works with any verb and any result; につけ is narrower and more written.
- Paired as 「AにつけBにつけ」(いいにつけ悪いにつけ) it means 'whether A or B' — that has its own page.
Watch out
- A feeling must follow — put an ordinary action there, like 「ニュースを見るにつけ、パンを買う」, and it is wrong.
- Exception: in the phrase 「何かにつけ(て)」the clause after it need not be a feeling.
Examples (उदाहरणहरू)
国の家族の写真を見るにつけ、早く会いたくなる。
くにのかぞくのしゃしんをみるにつけ、はやくあいたくなる。
Whenever I see photos of my family back home, I long to see them soon.
How it is built (कसरी बन्यो) 見る = to see → V辞書形 as it is + 「につけ」 → then the feeling: 会いたくなる (I long to see them).
日本で働く先輩の話を聞くにつけ、もっと頑張らなければと思う。
にほんではたらくせんぱいのはなしをきくにつけ、もっとがんばらなければとおもう。
Whenever I hear my seniors who work in Japan talk, I feel I have to try harder.
How it is built (कसरी बन्यो) 聞く = to hear → V辞書形 as it is + 「につけ」 → then the feeling that rises in me: もっと頑張らなければと思う (I feel I must try harder).
母は何かにつけて、「ちゃんと食べているか」と電話してくる。
はははなにかにつけて、「ちゃんとたべているか」とでんわしてくる。
On every little occasion, my mother calls to ask, "Are you eating properly?"
How it is built (कसरी बन्यो) 何か = something → 「何かにつけて」 = on any excuse at all (a set phrase) → here what follows can be an action, not a feeling: 電話してくる.
Knowledge check (मिनी ज्ञान जाँच)
「この歌を＿につけ、国を思い出す。」— fill the blank.
💡 Hint: Which verb form comes before につけ?
Dictionary form + につけ: 聞くにつけ = whenever I hear.
Which sentence is unnatural?
💡 Hint: What must follow につけ?
A feeling must follow につけ; an ordinary action like buying bread does not fit (use たびに there).
「部長は何か＿、新人のころの話をする。」— which says 'on every little occasion'?
💡 Hint: Recall the set phrase that goes with 何か.
「何かにつけて」= on every little occasion. In this phrase the clause after it need not be a feeling. たびに would need 「何かのたびに」.
Your score: /3