〜られる (passive) — Japanese Grammar

〜られる (passive)

Property	Value
Pattern	〜られる (passive)
JLPT Level	N4
Type	passive
Formality	Neutral
Register	Both

Meaning

The passive voice in Japanese is used to describe an action where the subject is the recipient of the action rather than the performer. It is often used to express that someone was affected by an action, or to describe objective events where the performer of the action is unknown or irrelevant.

Structure Formula

Group 1 (u-verbs): [Verb dictionary form (u → a)] + れる
Group 2 (ru-verbs): [Verb ます-stem] + られる
Group 3 (irregular): する → される / 来る (くる) → 来られる (こられる)

• Group 1: Change the final -u vowel to -a and add れる (e.g., 書く → 書かれる).
• Group 2: Simply remove る and add られる (e.g., 食べる → 食べられる).
• Group 3: する becomes される, and 来る becomes こられる.

Detailed Explanation

The passive voice is a fundamental grammatical structure in Japanese. Unlike English, where the passive is often used for formal or scientific writing, Japanese uses the passive voice frequently in daily life to describe situations where the speaker feels "affected" by an action.

When using the passive, the particle に (ni) is used to mark the person or thing performing the action (the agent). For example, "I was scolded by my teacher" becomes "私は先生に叱られました" (Watashi wa sensei ni shikararemashita).

A unique nuance of the Japanese passive is the "suffering passive" (meiwaku no ukemi). This is used when an action happens to someone that causes them trouble or inconvenience, even if the action itself is neutral. For example, "My younger brother ate my cake" can be expressed as "私は弟にケーキを食べられました" (I had my cake eaten by my younger brother), emphasizing the speaker's annoyance.

The passive is also used to describe historical events or general facts where the agent is not important, such as "This temple was built 500 years ago."

Example Sentences

Japanese	Reading	Romaji	English
私は母に褒められた。	わたしはははにほめられた。	Watashi wa haha ni homerareta.	I was praised by my mother.
この本は多くの人に読まれている。	このほんはおおくのひとによまれている。	Kono hon wa ooku no hito ni yomarete iru.	This book is read by many people.
私は雨に降られた。	わたしはあめにふられた。	Watashi wa ame ni furareta.	I got caught in the rain (and was inconvenienced).
ケーキを弟に食べられた。	けーきをおとうとにたべられた。	Keeki o otouto ni taberareta.	My cake was eaten by my younger brother.
この手紙は誰に書かれましたか。	このてがみはだれにかかれましたか。	Kono tegami wa dare ni kakaremashita ka.	By whom was this letter written?
私は隣の人に足を踏まれた。	わたしはとなりのひとにあしをふまれた。	Watashi wa tonari no hito ni ashi o fumareta.	My foot was stepped on by the person next to me.
昔、この城は建てられた。	むかし、このしろはたてられた。	Mukashi, kono shiro wa taterareta.	Long ago, this castle was built.
先生に名前を呼ばれた。	せんせいになまえをよばれた。	Sensei ni namae o yobareta.	My name was called by the teacher.

Comparison with Similar Patterns

〜られる (passive) vs 〜させる (causative)

Pattern	Nuance	Example
〜られる	Being acted upon	私は母に掃除させられた (I was made to clean by Mom)
〜させる	Making someone act	母は私に掃除させた (Mom made me clean)

• Difference: The passive (〜られる) focuses on the recipient's experience, while the causative (〜させる) focuses on the person forcing the action.

Common Mistakes

❌ 私は友達に映画を見られた。 → ✓ 私は友達に映画を見させられた。

• Explanation: If you want to say "I was forced to watch a movie," you must use the causative-passive form (させられる). The simple passive 見られた just means "the movie was watched by my friend."

❌ 彼は私に愛した。 → ✓ 彼は私に愛された。

• Explanation: The passive requires the verb to be in the passive form. 愛した is active voice.

Practice Exercises

Fill in the blank (use the passive form of the verb in parentheses):

1. そのニュースはみんなに（知る）＿＿＿＿＿＿。
2. 私は蚊に（刺す）＿＿＿＿＿＿。
3. 宿題を犬に（破る）＿＿＿＿＿＿。
4. この歌は世界中で（歌う）＿＿＿＿＿＿。
5. 私は部長に（呼ぶ）＿＿＿＿＿＿。

Answer Key:

1. 知られている (shirarete iru) - The news is known by everyone.
2. 刺された (sasareta) - I was bitten by a mosquito.
3. 破られた (yaburareta) - My homework was torn by the dog.
4. 歌われている (utawarete iru) - This song is being sung all over the world.
5. 呼ばれた (yobareta) - I was called by the department manager.

JLPT Level Notes

In the JLPT N4, you will often see the passive voice in reading comprehension passages to describe historical facts or in "reordering" questions. Pay close attention to the particle に—it is the biggest clue that a passive sentence is being constructed. Remember that if the sentence describes an unpleasant situation, it is almost certainly a "suffering passive."