Kare ni tsuite shitteimasuka?

What’s the difference between the two sentences below?

  1. 1. Kare o shitte imasuka?
  2. 2. Kare ni tsuite shitte imasuka?

No.1 is the sentence asking if you know him or not.
No.2 is asking you the details about him including himself.

Here we will learn No.2, using “…ni tsuite” and “…ni taishite”.

…ni tsuite

“…ni tsuite” is just for asking general things; the equivalent meaning is “about”.

Kare wa nihon no rekishi ni tsuite kuwashii desu. (He is knowledgeable about Japanese history.)

Raishuu no yotei ni tsuite oshiete kudasai. (Please tell me about your plans for next week.)

Shourai ni tsuite soudan ga arimasu. (I have a question about my future.)

…ni taishite

“…ni taishite” means “about”, “to”, “for” and “towards”, but this is rather used in questions and news. It gives us a formal impression.

Chuui ni taishite monku o iu.

Shakai wa watashitachi ni taishite kibishii.

Kuni ni taishite kougi suru.