“〜ni tsuke (〜ni tsuke 〜ni tsuke)”: Whenever 〜 / Whether 〜 or 〜 [JLPT N2]

Content by NTJ Kuma · Nihongo to Japan editorial team · Updated July 27, 2026

「この曲を聞くにつけ学生時代を思い出す」 — every time, a certain feeling wells up on its own.

「この写真を見るにつけ、昔を思い出す」 — every time it stirs you, the feeling wells up on its own

Turning to an old photo, 「この写真を見るにつけ、昔を思い出す」 (every time I see this photo, I recall the past) — 「〜につけ」 = every time ～, (some feeling) wells up naturally, plus a listing use 「〜につけ〜につけ」 = whether ～ or ～. It's a literary-flavored N2 pattern, the key being that what follows is an emotion, a reflection — not a willed action. This guide covers both uses and how to tell it from the neutral 「〜たびに.」

Core: every time ～, a feeling wells up／whether ～ or ～

「につけ」 has two uses:

• ① 〜につけ = every time ～ (naturally triggering an emotion/thought): seeing or hearing something naturally stirs an emotion, reflection, or musing. 見るにつけ、聞くにつけ、思い出す; 何かにつけ (at every turn) 文句を言う. What follows is mostly a spontaneous state of mind (思い出す・感じる・心配になる・腹が立つ).
• ② 〜につけ〜につけ = whether ～ or ～ (listing an opposing pair): 良きにつけ悪しきにつけ (whether good or bad), うれしいにつけ悲しいにつけ (whether glad or sad), 雨につけ風につけ.

Feel: “every time ～, (one can't help but) ～／whether ～ or ～” — the core is a trigger naturally drawing out an emotion or reflection (use ①), or listing that both opposite sides are so (use ②). It has a literary, written flavor.

Attachment rules

See it in context

• 母の手紙を読むにつけ、故郷が懐かしくなる。(Every time I read my mother's letters, I grow homesick.)
• 彼は何かにつけ、私に文句を言う。(He complains to me at every turn.)
• ニュースを見るにつけ、世の中の厳しさを感じる。(Every time I watch the news, I feel how harsh the world is.)
• 良きにつけ悪しきにつけ、彼は目立つ存在だ。(Whether for good or ill, he's a conspicuous presence.)
• うれしいにつけ悲しいにつけ、酒を飲みたくなる。(Whether glad or sad, I feel like drinking.)

⚠️ Where learners slip up

① Use ① is followed by a ‘spontaneous emotion/reflection,' not a willed action. This is the key restriction. What follows 「〜につけ (every time ～)」 must be a naturally welling, unwilled emotion, feeling, or musing: 思い出す (recall), 感じる (feel), 懐かしくなる (grow nostalgic), 心配になる (come to worry), 腹が立つ (get angry). It stresses that “on encountering a trigger, some feeling rises involuntarily.” So it can't take a willed action: ×この写真を見るにつけ、電話する (see the photo, then call — “call” is a deliberate action, unnatural). For a neutral, willed “every time ～ (do something),” use 「〜たびに」 (写真を見るたびに電話する = call every time I see the photo). Test: what follows is “an involuntarily welling emotion” → につけ; “a deliberately done action” → たびに.

② 「〜につけ〜につけ」 needs a ‘pair of opposite/contrasting' words. Use ② is listing, and the two sides must be an opposite or contrasting pair: 良きにつけ悪しきにつけ (good／bad), うれしいにつけ悲しいにつけ (glad／sad), 雨につけ風につけ (rain／wind, i.e. all weather). Its meaning is “whether this side or that, still …,” so put two opposites. 「良きにつけ悪しきにつけ (whether good or bad)」 is the most tested set form. Don't put same-direction or unpaired words.

③ 「につけ」 leans literary, written; rarely in casual speech. 「につけ」 has a clear literary, written color, mostly for written narration, reflection, literary expression. For everyday “every time ～,” the colloquial 「〜たびに」「〜と（いつも）」 is more natural. E.g. colloquial 「この曲を聞くと、いつも泣いちゃう」 vs written 「この曲を聞くにつけ、涙がこぼれる.」 To write with a literary, reflective flavor use につけ; for everyday speech just use たびに／と. 「何かにつけ (at every turn)」 is a relatively common set phrase that does appear in speech.

🔄 Compare: につけ／たびに／につれて／ごとに

💡 The one thing to remember

「〜につけ」 has two faces — keep them clear: ① 「〜につけ」 alone = every time ～ (a feeling wells up) — what follows is an involuntarily rising emotion, reflection (見るにつけ思い出す, 何かにつけ文句を言う), not a deliberate action, with a literary flavor; ② 「〜につけ〜につけ」 = whether ～ or ～ — put a pair of opposites (良きにつけ悪しきにつけ = whether good or bad, うれしいにつけ悲しいにつけ = whether glad or sad). The key distinction: for “each time a feeling wells up” (literary) use につけ, for “each time do an action” (neutral, willed) use 〈たびに〉. This pattern suits writing the reflection of being moved by a scene — 「〜を見るにつけ、〜を思う」 — one shade more literary and delicate than a plain 「たびに.」

❓ Common questions

Q: 「〜につけ」 and 「〜たびに」 both mean ‘every time' — how do I tell them apart?

The key is whether what follows is “a naturally welling emotion” or “a deliberate action.” 「〜につけ」 = every time ～ (naturally triggering an emotion/reflection): what follows must be an involuntarily rising emotion, feeling, or musing (思い出す・感じる・懐かしくなる・心配になる), stressing that “on encountering a trigger, a mood rises on its own,” with a literary flavor: 母の写真を見るにつけ、涙が出る (every time I see my mother's photo, tears come — emotion wells up naturally), 何かにつけ昔を思い出す (recall the past at every turn). It can't take a willed, deliberate action. 「〜たびに」 = every time ～ (neutral, can take any action): what follows can be anything, including deliberate actions and emotions, neutral, usable in speech or writing: この店に来るたびに、ラーメンを頼む (every time I come to this shop I order ramen — a deliberate action, たびに natural), 彼に会うたびに、緊張する (nervous every time I meet him — emotion works too). Test: if what follows is “an involuntarily welling emotion” and you want a literary feel, use につけ; if what follows is “a deliberate action” or you just want to neutrally say ‘each time ～', use たびに. In short, につけ pairs specifically with emotion and leans literary; たびに pairs with anything and is neutral. So 「写真を見るたびに電話する (call every time I see the photo)」 is right; 「写真を見るにつけ電話する」 is unnatural (calling is a deliberate action).

Q: What does 「良きにつけ悪しきにつけ」 mean? What form are 「良き」「悪しき」?

「良きにつけ悪しきにつけ」 = “whether good or bad, for good or ill,” the most classic set form of the 「〜につけ〜につけ (whether ～ or ～)」 use. It lists the opposite pair 「良き (good)」 and 「悪しき (bad)」, meaning “both sides …, whichever side …”: 良きにつけ悪しきにつけ、彼は話題の中心だ (for good or ill, he's the center of attention), 良きにつけ悪しきにつけ、SNSは私たちの生活を変えた (for good or ill, social media has changed our lives). As for the form of 「良き」「悪しき」 — they're literary (classical) attributive forms: 「良き」 = the literary attributive of 「良い」, 「悪しき」 = the literary attributive of 「悪しい (＝悪い).」 Because 「につけ」 is itself a literary-flavored pattern, it pairs especially naturally and set-wise with the classical 「良き・悪しき.」 This is a set expression — memorizing the whole thing as 「良きにつけ悪しきにつけ = whether good or bad」 is most practical; no need to fuss over classical conjugation. Similar are 「うれしいにつけ悲しいにつけ (whether glad or sad)」「見るにつけ聞くにつけ (with each sight and sound, whether seeing or hearing)」, all common combinations of this listing use.

🖊️ Practice Questions (5)

Q1. 「この曲を聞く___、学生時代を思い出す。」(Whenever I hear it, I recall my student days)

(A) につけ　(B) ばかり　(C) どころか　(D) ものの

Q2. 「良き___悪しき___、影響は大きい。」(Whether good or bad)

(A) につけ、につけ　(B) ながら、ながら　(C) ても、ても　(D) たり、たり

Q3. 「につけ」の後件として典型的なのは?

(A) Naturally arising emotions/thoughts

(B) A command

(C) A purely causal conclusion

(D) A condition

Q4. 「につけ」とよく一緒に使う動詞は?

(A) 見る・聞く・考える（perception/thinking）　(B) 走る・歩く　(C) 食べる・飲む　(D) 寝る・起きる

Q5. 接法が正しいのは?

(A) 思い出すにつけ涙が出る。　(B) 思い出したにつけ。

(C) 思い出してにつけ。　(D) 思い出しにつけ。

Answer Explanations

1. (A) につけ ── Whenever I hear it, I recall it.

2. (A) につけ、につけ ── Whether good or bad (良きにつけ悪しきにつけ).

3. (A) ── Naturally arising emotions/thoughts.

4. (A) ── Often attaches to 見る・聞く・考える.

5. (A) ── Dictionary form ＋につけ (思い出す＋).