〜について
About, concerningmachine translation
FormationNoun + について; modifying a noun: についての + noun
Noun + について introduces the topic or content an action is directed at — "about, concerning": 日本の文化について勉強する (study about Japanese culture). について is usually followed by verbs of speaking, thinking, writing, or looking into: 話す、考える、書く、調べる、聞く. When modifying a noun, use についての: 旅行についての本 (a book about travel).
This is the most easily confused compound particle in the about/toward group, so pin down the boundaries from the start: について introduces the CONTENT of a topic; に対して marks the TARGET that an action or attitude is aimed straight at; にとって opens up a VIEWPOINT for evaluation. Compare: 日本について話す (talk about Japan — the content of the conversation) is quite different from 日本にとって大切だ (important for Japan — from Japan's standpoint).
に関して means almost the same as について but is formal and leans toward written language; in everyday conversation について is always the natural choice. To raise a topic as a heading and then comment on it, use については: この問題については、また来週話しましょう (as for this issue, let's discuss it again next week).
Examples
日本の文化について勉強しています。
I am studying about Japanese culture.
会議で新しい計画について話し合いました。
At the meeting, we discussed the new plan.
この問題についてどう思いますか。
What do you think about this issue?