Devonn P. answered • 04/04/19
Flexible Japanese Tutor for Beginning Students
Hello there!
So, 「に関して (にかんして)」 and 「について」 both mean "regarding/about/concerning,” but the primary difference is in nuance and scope. 「について」tends to be used more in casual, spoken conversation, and tends to be restricted to things related directly to the topic at hand.「にかんして」,sounds a bit more formal and removed, and is primarily used in written language. It also implies that related and connected topics will also be addressed.「関（かん）する」means ”to be related", "to have a connection,” which clues you in on its broader meaning.
For example, if I ask:
「(私たち)見たばかり映画についてどう思いますか。」
What do you think about the movie we just saw?
The person would reply with opinions about the characters, story, cinematography, etc. about that movie in particular. Conversely, if you used に関してin place of について, it would broaden the topic to movies in general and things related to this movie. For example, if it was an animated superhero action movie, you might talk about similar movies, the history and evolution of animation in Hollywood, superheroes in film, TV, and comics - related topics to the movie, but not limited to just the movie itself.
Hope this helps!
- Devonn P.
