Japanese Passive & Causative Forms: How to Guide

Introduction

The passive and causative forms are a major hurdle for intermediate Japanese learners. They change who's doing what to whom, and when you combine them into the causative-passive, things get even trickier. Many learners avoid these forms because they feel overwhelming.

Here's the good news: once you understand the pattern behind each form, they follow predictable rules. This guide breaks down all three — passive, causative, and causative-passive — with conjugation charts and plenty of examples.

Quick Answer

Quick Answer: The passive form (られる/れる) means "to be done to." The causative form (させる/せる) means "to make/let someone do." The causative-passive (させられる) means "to be made to do" — and it's the form learners dread most.

The Passive Form (受身形 — うけみけい)

The passive form flips the perspective of a sentence. Instead of "A does something to B," it becomes "B is done something by A." In Japanese, this is used more often than you might expect.

How to Conjugate the Passive

Ru-verbs (ichidan): Drop る, add られる

U-verbs (godan): Change the final vowel to あ sound, add れる

Irregular verbs:

• する → される (to be done)
• 来る → 来られる (こられる) (to be come to)

Three Types of Passive in Japanese

1. Direct passive — Someone does something to you. 先生に褒められた。(Sensei ni homerareta.) — I was praised by my teacher.

2. Indirect passive (suffering passive) — Something happens and it affects you negatively. This is unique to Japanese. 雨に降られた。(Ame ni furareta.) — I got rained on. (The rain "happened to" me.)

3. Impersonal passive — Used in formal writing, similar to English passive. この本は多くの人に読まれています。(Kono hon wa ooku no hito ni yomareteimasu.) — This book is read by many people.

The indirect passive is something English doesn't really have. It expresses that you were inconvenienced by an event — even if the action wasn't directed at you.

The Causative Form (使役形 — しえきけい)

The causative form means "to make someone do" or "to let someone do." The context tells you whether it's forcing or allowing.

How to Conjugate the Causative

Ru-verbs: Drop る, add させる

U-verbs: Change the final vowel to あ sound, add せる

Irregular verbs:

• する → させる (to make/let do)
• 来る → 来させる (こさせる) (to make/let come)

"Make" vs. "Let" — How to Tell the Difference

The particle used with the person being caused to act gives you a clue:

• を tends to mean "make" (compulsion): 母は子供を野菜を食べさせた。(The mother made the child eat vegetables.)
• に tends to mean "let" (permission): 母は子供に好きなものを食べさせた。(The mother let the child eat what they wanted.)

This isn't a hard rule, but it's a useful guideline. Context matters most.

For more practice with these intermediate grammar patterns, Rico sensei's JLPT N3 まるわかりブック includes detailed exercises on both forms.

The Causative-Passive Form (使役受身形)

This is the form that gives learners nightmares. It combines causative and passive to mean "to be made to do something" — and it always implies that the speaker didn't want to do it.

How to Conjugate the Causative-Passive

Take the causative form and make it passive:

Ru-verbs: させる → させられる

U-verbs: There are two forms — the full form and a shorter spoken form.

Note: The short form (〜される) is very common in spoken Japanese. It's not slang — it's an accepted standard form.

Irregular verbs:

• する → させられる (to be made to do)
• 来る → 来させられる (こさせられる) (to be made to come)

Example: 毎日、野菜を食べさせられた。(Mainichi, yasai wo tabesaserareta.) — I was made to eat vegetables every day.

Example Sentences

Common Mistakes

1. Confusing passive and causative conjugations — Passive uses あ-row + れる, causative uses あ-row + せる. Don't mix them up.
2. Using the wrong particle — In passive sentences, the doer is marked with に. In causative sentences, を and に have different nuances.
3. Forgetting the indirect (suffering) passive — This is unique to Japanese. 雨に降られた doesn't mean "the rain was fallen" — it means "I was caught in the rain (and I'm unhappy about it)."
4. Overcomplicating causative-passive — Build it step by step: dictionary form → causative → passive. Don't try to jump straight to the final form.
5. Ignoring the short causative-passive form — In conversation, 飲まされる is much more common than 飲ませられる. Learn both.

Practice Tips

1. Master one form at a time — Learn passive first, then causative, then combine them. Don't try to learn all three simultaneously.
2. Practice with daily life scenarios — Think about things you were made to do as a child, or things that happen to you. These naturally use passive and causative forms.
3. Write diary entries using these forms — Then submit them to our correction service for feedback from a native speaker.
4. Watch YouTube lessons on N3 grammar — Hearing these forms in context helps more than memorizing charts.
5. Use the step-by-step method for causative-passive — Always conjugate in two steps: first make it causative, then make it passive.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is the passive form the same as the potential form for ru-verbs? Yes, for ru-verbs, the passive (食べられる) and potential (食べられる) look identical. Context tells you which meaning is intended. In casual speech, the potential often drops ら: 食べれる.

Q: When do I use the short causative-passive form? Use it in everyday conversation. The short form (飲まされる) sounds more natural than the full form (飲ませられる) in spoken Japanese. In formal writing, the full form is preferred.

Q: Does the causative-passive always mean something negative? Almost always. It implies you were forced to do something you didn't want to. If the experience was positive, you'd typically use a different construction.

Q: How common are these forms in daily conversation? The passive is very common — you'll hear it constantly. The causative appears regularly too. The causative-passive is less frequent but essential for expressing frustration or complaining about being forced to do things.

Q: What JLPT level are these grammar points? Passive and causative are N4 topics, but full mastery (including indirect passive and causative-passive) is expected at N3-N2.

Related Resources

• Watch: JLPT N3 Grammar Lessons
• りこ先生の【JLPT N3】まるわかりブック
• りこ先生の【JLPT N2】まるわかりブック
• Get feedback on your writing
• Browse our study materials

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