1.
to notice; to realize; to become aware of
To perceive or become conscious of something that was not previously noticed.
間違いに気がついた。
I noticed the mistake.
彼がいないことに、誰も気がつかなかった。
Nobody noticed that he was gone.
駅に着いてから、財布を忘れたことに気がついて慌てた。
After arriving at the station, I realized I had forgotten my wallet and panicked.
2.
to be attentive; to be considerate; to be thoughtful
To be naturally observant of others' needs and feelings.
彼女はよく気がつく人だ。
She is a very attentive person.
気がつく子だね、ありがとう。
What a thoughtful child — thank you.
周りの人の変化にすぐ気がつくのは、彼女のいいところだ。
One of her good traits is that she quickly notices changes in the people around her.
A very common expression composed of 気 (awareness, attention) + が + つく (to attach, to arrive at). Describes the moment of becoming aware of something, or a person's quality of being naturally attentive. Also written as 気が付く.
USAGE:
- Sense 1 pattern: ～に気がつく (to notice ~)
- Sense 2 is used as a personality trait: 気がつく人 (a considerate person)
- The contracted form 気付く is more common in writing
- Past form 気がついた is very frequently used
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 間違いに気がつく: to notice a mistake
- 変化に気がつく: to notice a change
- ～ことに気がつく: to realize that ~
- よく気がつく: to be very attentive/considerate
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 気付く: to notice, realize — contracted form; same meaning, more common in written Japanese
- 気にする: to worry about, care about — different nuance; focuses on concern rather than noticing
- 気になる: to be on one's mind — something catches attention and lingers
- 感づく: to sense, have a hunch — implies intuiting rather than clearly noticing