Japanese Passive and Causative Forms: Rareru, Saseru and Saserareru
The Japanese passive (受身形) says something was done to someone, and the causative (使役形) says someone made or let someone else do something. For most verbs you form them by changing the ending: 食べる becomes 食べられる (to be eaten) and 食べさせる (to make or let someone eat). Put the two together and you get the causative-passive, 食べさせられる (to be made to eat). Once you see the pattern, these three forms become some of the most useful in everyday Japanese.
How to form the passive
| Verb group | Dictionary form | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| Ru-verbs (group 2) | 食べる、見る | 食べられる、見られる |
| U-verbs (group 1) | 書く、読む、言う | 書かれる、読まれる、言われる |
| Irregular | する、来る | される、来られる |
The person who does the action is marked with に: 先生にほめられました (I was praised by my teacher). If you need a refresher on verb groups, start with Japanese verb conjugation basics.
The “suffering” passive
Japanese also uses the passive when something happens that affects you, often in a bad way, even with verbs that can’t be passive in English. 雨に降られました literally means “I was rained on”, and 隣の人にたばこを吸われました means the person next to me smoked, and I didn’t like it. This is one of the most natural ways to complain politely, without blaming anyone directly.
How to form the causative
| Verb group | Dictionary form | Causative |
|---|---|---|
| Ru-verbs (group 2) | 食べる | 食べさせる |
| U-verbs (group 1) | 書く、待つ | 書かせる、待たせる |
| Irregular | する、来る | させる、来させる |
The causative can mean “make” or “let”, and context decides which. 子どもに野菜を食べさせた is “I made my child eat vegetables”, while 子どもを公園で遊ばせた is closer to “I let my child play in the park”.
Two causative phrases you will use at work
- お待たせしました。 “Sorry to have kept you waiting”, literally “I made you wait”.
- 〜させていただきます。 A humble way to say you will do something, as in 説明させていただきます (allow me to explain). It is common in keigo at work, though overusing it can sound stiff.
The causative-passive: “being made to do”
Combine the two and you get 食べさせられる, 書かせられる (often shortened to 書かされる) and させられる. It describes something you were made to do, usually unwillingly: 子どものころ、毎日ピアノを練習させられました (as a child I was made to practise piano every day).
Common mistakes
- Mixing up られる as passive and as potential (“can eat”). For ru-verbs they look the same; context tells you which.
- Overusing the passive. Japanese often prefers an active sentence, or a different verb, where English would use the passive.
- Forgetting the particles: the doer takes に in the passive, and the person made to act usually takes に or を in the causative.
These forms appear often at JLPT N4 and N3, so they are worth practising before the exam. See our JLPT grammar tips.
How Hanabuddies can help
Passive and causative forms click fastest when you use them in your own sentences and get corrected straight away. A native tutor can explain the difference between similar forms, give you real examples from daily life and work, and build drills around the mistakes you actually make.