1To attach, stick, affix, fasten, or apply one thing to another — including gluing, sewing on, smearing on (ointment, cream), or dipping food in a sauce. The most basic and broadly used sense.
ポスターを壁にテープでつけた。
I taped the poster to the wall.
子供の制服にワッペンを縫いつけた。
I sewed a patch onto my child's uniform.
傷口に薬をつけてから絆創膏を貼った。
I put medicine on the wound and then applied a bandage.
餃子をたれにつけて食べるのが好きだ。
I like to dip my dumplings in sauce when I eat them.
2To furnish or equip a house or room with fixtures or fittings; also used of a place that comes with such equipment.
新しいアパートにエアコンをつけてもらった。
I had an air conditioner installed in the new apartment.
この部屋は家具をつけて貸している。
This room is rented out furnished.
3To wear or put on an accessory or item such as a watch, ring, or tie. Often written 着ける in this sense.
彼はいつも同じネクタイをつけている。
He always wears the same tie.
指輪を左手の薬指につけた。
She put the ring on the ring finger of her left hand.
新しい腕時計を手首につけて出かけた。
I put my new watch on my wrist and went out.
4To keep a diary, ledger, or record; to make regular written entries (e.g., a diary, a household account book).
彼女は毎日欠かさず日記をつけている。
She keeps a diary every single day without fail.
節約のために家計簿をつけ始めた。
I started keeping a household account book to save money.
旅行中の出来事を細かくノートにつけておいた。
I kept detailed notes in a notebook about what happened during the trip.
5To set a price for, appraise, or rate something (e.g., to price an item, to give a score).
この絵には高い値段がつけられている。
A high price has been set for this painting.
先生は作文に厳しく点数をつけた。
The teacher graded the essays strictly.
6To allot, budget, or assign resources such as funds or personnel to a task or person.
今年は研究に十分な予算をつけてもらえた。
We were given an adequate budget for research this year.
会社は新人に指導役の先輩をつけた。
The company assigned a senior employee as a mentor to the new hire.
7To bring a boat or vehicle alongside and moor or pull it up to a quay, dock, or curb. Also written 着ける.
船を岸につけて荷物を降ろした。
They brought the ship alongside the shore and unloaded the cargo.
玄関に車をつけてお待ちしております。
I'll have the car waiting right at the entrance.
8To assign a guard, doctor, or attendant to someone, placing them under protection or care.
重症の患者に専任の看護師をつけた。
They assigned a dedicated nurse to the seriously ill patient.
要人には常に護衛をつける必要がある。
A VIP must always have a bodyguard assigned to them.
9To follow, shadow, tail, or stalk someone without being noticed.
探偵は一日中容疑者をつけていた。
The detective tailed the suspect all day.
誰かにつけられている気がして、遠回りして帰った。
I felt like I was being followed, so I took a roundabout way home.
10To load goods onto something; also, to give someone energy or momentum (e.g., to cheer someone up, to build up momentum).
出発前に荷を馬につけた。
We loaded the cargo onto the horse before setting off.
栄養のあるものを食べて体力をつけよう。
Let's eat nutritious food and build up our strength.
11To keep an eye on someone or something; to set one's sights on a target. Common in the phrase 目をつける.
スカウトはその若い選手に目をつけていた。
The scout had his eye on that young player.
泥棒は留守がちな家に目をつけるものだ。
Thieves tend to target houses that are often left empty.
12To settle a matter or reach an understanding; to come to terms or bring something to a conclusion (e.g., to reach a compromise, to settle things).
両者は粘り強い交渉の末、折り合いをつけた。
After tough negotiations, the two sides reached a compromise.
この問題は今日中にけりをつけたい。
I want to settle this matter once and for all today.
13To turn on or switch on a light, the TV, or an appliance. When it means to light a flame, it is also written 点ける (see the separate 点ける entry).
暗くなってきたので部屋の電気をつけた。
It was getting dark, so I turned on the room light.
朝起きたらまずテレビをつける習慣がある。
I have a habit of turning on the TV first thing when I wake up.
寝る前に明かりをつけっぱなしにしないで。
Don't leave the light on when you go to sleep.
14(Of a plant) to bear flowers or fruit; to blossom or produce fruit.
この木は毎年たくさんの実をつける。
This tree bears a lot of fruit every year.
丁寧に世話をすれば、来春には花をつけるだろう。
If you tend it carefully, it will probably bloom next spring.
15As a suffix after a verb's -masu stem, it intensifies the action — to do it forcefully or fiercely (e.g., 怒鳴りつける to yell at, 叱りつける to scold harshly, 押さえつける to pin down).
彼は酔って店員を怒鳴りつけた。
Drunk, he yelled furiously at the clerk.
暴れる犯人を数人で押さえつけた。
Several people pinned down the struggling suspect.
16As a suffix after a verb's -masu stem, it expresses being used to or accustomed to doing the action (e.g., 行きつけ a regular haunt, 飲みつける to be a habitual drinker).
ここは私の行きつけの店だ。
This is the shop I go to regularly.
見慣れない人が家の前に立っていた。
An unfamiliar person was standing in front of the house.