~付き

§ What does ~付き mean?

The Japanese suffix ~付き (~tsuki) is extremely useful. You'll see and hear it often in daily life, especially when talking about things that 'come with' or 'include' something else. Think of it as a quick way to say 'with X' or 'including Y' without having to use a longer phrase.

At its core, ~付き indicates that an item or service has an attachment, a feature, or an additional component. It's concise and common, making it a key part of practical Japanese communication. You'll find it everywhere from restaurant menus to apartment listings.

DEFINITION

Comes with ~, includes ~ (e.g., サラダ付き - with salad).

§ When do people use ~付き?

People use ~付き in many situations. Here are some common ones:

• Restaurant Menus: This is probably one of the most frequent places you'll encounter ~付き. When ordering a meal, you might see descriptions like 'スープ付き' (with soup) or 'ドリンクバー付き' (with drink bar). It tells you exactly what's included in a set or a special.
• Accommodation: When looking for a place to stay, you'll often see amenities described with ~付き. For example, '朝食付き' (with breakfast) or 'バス・トイレ付き' (with bath and toilet).
• Products and Services: Any time a product or service comes with an extra feature or component, ~付き can be used. Think '保証書付き' (with warranty card) or '説明書付き' (with instruction manual).
• Housing and Real Estate: Describing features of an apartment or house is another common use. '駐車場付き' (with parking) or '家具付き' (furnished).
• General Descriptions: You can also use it more generally to describe an item that inherently has a certain characteristic or attachment, like '蓋付きのコップ' (a cup with a lid).

§ Examples in context

Let's look at some examples to make this clearer.

As you can see, ~付き makes sentences shorter and more natural. Instead of saying 'このランチセットはサラダがあります' (This lunch set has salad), which is grammatically correct but less common in this context, 'このランチセットはサラダ付きです' is much more idiomatic and concise.

Mastering ~付き will significantly improve your ability to understand and express inclusions and features in Japanese, especially in everyday conversational and transactional settings. Pay attention to how native speakers use it, and try to incorporate it into your own speaking and writing.

Let's talk about the Japanese word ~付き (tsuki). This is a really useful word to know because it lets you say something "comes with" or "includes" something else. Think of it like saying "with X" in English, such as "with salad" or "with a parking spot."

Japanese Word

~付き (つき)

CEFR Level

B1

Definition

Comes with ~, includes ~ (e.g., サラダ付き - with salad).

§ How to use it in a sentence – grammar, prepositions

The grammar for ~付き is pretty straightforward. You attach it directly to a noun to indicate that the item described by that noun is included or comes with something. There's no particle needed between the noun and ~付き.

Here's the basic pattern:

• [Noun] + 付き

Let's look at some examples to make this clear.

In this example, サラダ (sarada - salad) is the noun, and we simply add 付き to it to mean "with salad."

Here, 駐車場 (chūshajō - parking lot/spot) is the noun, and by adding 付き, it means "with a parking spot."

You can also use it to describe features of an item. For instance, if you're talking about furniture:

Here, 引き出し (hikidashi - drawer) is the noun. So, 引き出し付き means "with drawers."

§ More Complex Uses and Nuances

While the basic structure is simple, ~付き can convey a few different nuances depending on the context. It can imply:

• Inclusion: The most common use, simply stating that something is included.

  朝食付きのホテルを予約しました。
  I booked a hotel with breakfast.

• Attachment/Feature: Something is physically attached or is a specific feature.

  フタ付きの容器を探しています。
  I'm looking for a container with a lid.

• Status/Condition: Less common, but can describe a state or condition that comes with something.

  保証付きの商品なので安心です。
  It's a product with a warranty, so I feel at ease.

Remember, ~付き is a noun modifier. It turns the noun it's attached to into an adjective-like phrase describing another noun. For example, サラダ付きランチ (sarada-tsuki ranchi) means "a lunch with salad." You can use it before another noun to describe it.

In this sentence, ドリンク付き modifies セット (setto - set). It tells us what kind of set it is: a "drink-included set."

By mastering ~付き, you'll be able to describe things more precisely and understand menus, apartment listings, and product descriptions much better in Japanese. Keep practicing with different nouns!

You're learning Japanese, and you want to sound natural. One useful word you'll hear a lot is ~付き (tsuki). It's a simple way to say "comes with" or "includes." This isn't just for menus; it pops up in all sorts of situations, from describing job benefits to explaining product features.

Let's break down how to use ~付き so you can understand it and use it yourself.

§ What ~付き means

Japanese Word

~付き (tsuki)

Definition

Comes with ~, includes ~ (e.g., サラダ付き - with salad). This suffix attaches to nouns to indicate that something is included or comes with the main item.

§ How to use ~付き in daily life

You'll encounter ~付き often. Here are some common situations where you'll hear or read it.

At Restaurants/Cafes

When ordering food, especially lunch sets or dinner courses, ~付き tells you what comes with the main dish.

• サラダ付き (sarada tsuki): Comes with salad / with salad
• ドリンクバー付き (dorinku bā tsuki): Comes with a drink bar / with a drink bar
• デザート付き (dezāto tsuki): Comes with dessert / with dessert

For Accommodations (Hotels, Ryokan)

When booking a hotel or traditional Japanese inn (ryokan), you'll see ~付き to describe what's included in the stay.

• 朝食付き (chōshoku tsuki): With breakfast / breakfast included
• 夕食付き (yūshoku tsuki): With dinner / dinner included
• 温泉付き (onsen tsuki): With a hot spring / hot spring included
• バス・トイレ付き (basu toire tsuki): With a bath and toilet / bath and toilet included (often referring to a private bathroom)

In Job Descriptions/Work

You might see ~付き when looking at job benefits or describing working conditions.

• 交通費支給 (kōtsūhi shikyuu): Travel expenses provided (sometimes followed by ~付き implying it comes with this benefit)
• 寮付き (ryō tsuki): With a dormitory / dormitory included

Describing Products/Features

When buying electronics, furniture, or even cars, ~付き is used to highlight included features or accessories.

• 保証書付き (hosho sho tsuki): With a warranty card / warranty card included
• ケース付き (kēsu tsuki): With a case / case included
• 説明書付き (setsumeisho tsuki): With an instruction manual / instruction manual included

Other Common Uses

You'll find ~付き in many other contexts too.

• 条件付き (jōken tsuki): With conditions / conditional
• 名前付き (namae tsuki): With a name / named

§ Key takeaway

~付き is a versatile and common suffix. When you see it, think "comes with" or "includes." It's a simple way to get more information about what you're buying, eating, or signing up for. Pay attention to the noun before ~付き to understand what is being offered as part of a package.

§ Don't confuse it with just 'with'

The biggest mistake learners make is thinking that ~付き can be used for any instance of 'with'. It can't. While in English we might say 'a person with glasses' or 'a dog with a wagging tail', ~付き is very specific. It means 'comes with' or 'includes' something as part of a set, a package, or an inherent feature.

For example, you wouldn't say 眼鏡付きの人 (megane-tsuki no hito) for 'a person with glasses'. Instead, you'd use a different particle or phrase like 眼鏡をかけた人 (megane o kaketa hito). Think of ~付き as indicating an add-on or a standard inclusion, usually something tangible or a service.

§ Attaching it to verbs or adjectives

Another common error is trying to attach ~付き to verbs or adjectives. Remember, ~付き is used with nouns. It describes a noun that comes with another noun. You can't say 'to eat-with' (食べる付き) or 'happy-with' (嬉しい付き). The word before ~付き must be a noun.

§ Overusing it in contexts where other particles are more natural

While ~付き is useful, don't feel compelled to use it everywhere 'with' appears in English. Japanese has many ways to express association or inclusion. Sometimes a simple particle like と (to) or を持っている (o motte iru) is more appropriate and natural.

• For 'having' or 'possessing' an item, を持っている is often better.
• For 'doing something with' someone, と is usually correct.
• For characteristics or attributes, other grammatical structures might be needed.

~付き is best reserved for situations where something is literally attached, included as part of a deal, or comes as a standard feature. Think of restaurant menus (サラダ付き), product descriptions (ケース付き), or accommodations (朝食付き).

§ Understanding ~つき (~tsuki)

You've learned that ~つき (~tsuki) means "comes with" or "includes." It's a super practical suffix for describing what's part of a set, a meal, or even an item's features. Think of it as a clear, concise way to add a detail about inclusion.

DEFINITION

Comes with ~, includes ~ (e.g., サラダ付き - with salad).

The beauty of ~つき is its directness. When you see サラダ付き (sarada-tsuki), you immediately know it includes a salad. No fuss, no ambiguity. This is why it's so common in menus, product descriptions, and everyday conversations about things that come bundled together.

§ Alternatives to ~つき

While ~つき is often your go-to, there are other ways to express similar ideas. Knowing them will make your Japanese more natural and nuanced.

• ~がある (~ga aru) / ~を持っています (~o motteimasu)

  These are the most basic ways to say "there is" or "to have." They're broader in scope than ~つき.

  このレストランは駐車場があります。
  This restaurant has parking.

  This is grammatically correct and understandable. However, 駐車場付き (chūshajō-tsuki) is more concise when describing an *apartment with parking* because it implies the parking is part of the apartment's features or included amenities.

• 含む (fukumu) / 含まれる (fukumareru)

  These verbs mean "to include." 含む (fukumu) is transitive (something includes something), and 含まれる (fukumareru) is intransitive (something is included).

  値段にはサービス料が含まれています。
  The service charge is included in the price.

  You'll often see these in more formal contexts or when specifying exactly what is part of a larger sum or concept. While you *could* say サービス料付き (sābisu-ryō-tsuki), 含まれる is often preferred for things like fees or abstract inclusions.

• 込み (komi)

  This is another common suffix meaning "including" or "inclusive of." It's very similar to ~つき but often used specifically for prices or charges.

  税金込みの価格です。
  This is the price including tax.

  Here, 税金付き (zeikin-tsuki) would sound a bit odd. 税込み (zeikomi) is the standard and natural phrase. Similarly, for shipping, you'd likely hear 送料込み (sōryō-komi - shipping included) rather than 送料付き (sōryō-tsuki).

• と一緒に (to issho ni)

  Meaning "together with," this phrase is used when two or more things are actively presented or consumed as a pair, but not necessarily bundled as one item or feature.

  コーヒーをケーキと一緒にください。
  Please give me coffee with cake.

  While you could say コーヒー付きのケーキ (kōhī-tsuki no kēki - cake with coffee), it implies coffee is a *feature* of the cake or part of a set meal. と一緒に simply means you want them side-by-side.

§ When to stick with ~つき

Use ~つき when you want to directly state that something is an inherent part or an included feature of a noun. It's excellent for:

• Describing amenities: エアコン付き (eakon-tsuki - with air conditioning), 家具付き (kagu-tsuki - furnished).
• Meal components: スープ付き (sūpu-tsuki - with soup), パン付き (pan-tsuki - with bread).
• Product features: ケース付き (kēsu-tsuki - with a case), 保証付き (hoshō-tsuki - with a warranty).

By understanding these alternatives and when to use them, you'll sound more like a native speaker and communicate your ideas with greater precision. Don't be afraid to experiment, but when in doubt about a simple inclusion, ~つき is usually a safe and solid choice!