JLPT N4 Lesson 7: Passive and Causative

Overview

At N5, all your sentences were in the active voice: the subject does the action to an object. At N4, you master two new voices that dramatically expand what you can express: the passive voice (〜られる/〜れる), where the subject receives an action done by someone else, and the causative voice (〜させる/〜せる), where the subject causes or allows someone else to do something. Combining these two gives the causative-passive (〜させられる), expressing being forced or made to do something against your will.

Japanese passive is used more broadly than English passive. The most important use at N4 is the suffering passive (迷惑の受け身, meiwaku no ukemi), where you describe an action done to you that was unwanted or inconvenient — even if the subject doesn't directly act on you (e.g., 雨に降られた, "I was rained on" — you were affected by the rain). This emotional, adversative use has no clean equivalent in English and is one of the most culturally distinctive features of Japanese grammar. Mastering who does what to whom — and how the particles shift between active and passive — is the core challenge of this lesson.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson you can:

• Conjugate any verb into passive, causative, and causative-passive forms.
• Correctly use に to mark the agent in passive sentences.
• Describe adversative (suffering) situations using the indirect passive.
• Express being made/allowed to do something using the causative, and distinguish it from causative-passive (being forced unwillingly).

New Vocabulary

Japanese	Reading	Romaji	English	Part of Speech
叱る	しかる	shikaru	to scold	Verb (u)
褒める	ほめる	homeru	to praise	Verb (ru)
盗む	ぬすむ	nusumu	to steal	Verb (u)
踏む	ふむ	fumu	to step on, to tread	Verb (u)
噛む	かむ	kamu	to bite	Verb (u)
招待する	しょうたいする	shōtai suru	to invite	Verb (suru)
起こす	おこす	okosu	to wake someone up	Verb (u)
育てる	そだてる	sodateru	to raise, to rear	Verb (ru)
迷惑	めいわく	meiwaku	annoyance, inconvenience	Noun/Na-adj
仕方がない	しかたがない	shikata ga nai	it can't be helped	Expression
強制	きょうせい	kyōsei	coercion, compulsion	Noun
許可	きょか	kyoka	permission	Noun
代わりに	かわりに	kawari ni	instead of, in place of	Expression
やむを得ない	やむをえない	yamu o enai	unavoidable, no choice	Expression
主語	しゅご	shugo	subject (grammar)	Noun

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Grammar Points

Full Conjugation Table: 10 Common Verbs

Dictionary	Passive	Causative	Causative-Passive
書く (kaku)	書かれる	書かせる	書かせられる
飲む (nomu)	飲まれる	飲ませる	飲まされる
話す (hanasu)	話される	話させる	話させられる
読む (yomu)	読まれる	読ませる	読まされる
待つ (matsu)	待たれる	待たせる	待たされる
食べる (taberu)	食べられる	食べさせる	食べさせられる
見る (miru)	見られる	見させる	見させられる
来る (kuru)	来られる	来させる	来させられる
する (suru)	される	させる	させられる
起きる (okiru)	起きられる	起きさせる	起きさせられる

Note on contractions: For u-verbs ending in す, せる contracts remain (話させられる stays full). For other u-verbs, the causative-passive often contracts: 読まされる (← 読まさせられる), 飲まされる (← 飲まさせられる).

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1. Passive Form 〜られる / 〜れる (Passive Voice)

Formation:

• u-verbs: change final u-row → a-row + れる (書く → 書かれる; 飲む → 飲まれる; 話す → 話される)
• ru-verbs: drop る + られる (食べる → 食べられる; 見る → 見られる)
• する → される; 来る → 来られる

Sentence structure: [Affected person] は [Agent] に [Verb-passive]

The particle に marks the agent (the person who did the action). In passive sentences, the person who receives the action becomes the grammatical subject (は or が).

Direct passive (物の受け身, mono no ukemi): An action is directly done to the subject.

Japanese	Reading	Romaji	English
私は先生に褒められた。	わたしはせんせいにほめられた。	Watashi wa sensei ni homerareta.	I was praised by the teacher.
この本は夏目漱石に書かれました。	このほんはなつめそうせきにかかれました。	Kono hon wa Natsume Sōseki ni kakaremashita.	This book was written by Natsume Soseki.
彼は友達に裏切られた。	かれはともだちにうらぎられた。	Kare wa tomodachi ni uragirareta.	He was betrayed by his friend.
私は犬に足を噛まれた。	わたしはいぬにあしをかまれた。	Watashi wa inu ni ashi o kamareta.	I had my foot bitten by a dog.

Indirect / Suffering passive (迷惑の受け身): The subject is adversely affected by someone else's action, even if the action isn't done to them directly. This is a uniquely Japanese construction.

Japanese	Reading	Romaji	English
雨に降られた。	あめにふられた。	Ame ni furareta.	I got rained on (= was adversely affected by the rain).
子供に泣かれて、眠れなかった。	こどもになかれて、ねむれなかった。	Kodomo ni nakarete, nemurenakatta.	My child cried and I couldn't sleep (the crying affected me).
友達に先に食べられてしまった。	ともだちにさきにたべられてしまった。	Tomodachi ni saki ni taberarete shimatta.	My friend ate it first on me (I was inconvenienced).
電車の中で隣の人に話しかけられた。	でんしゃのなかでとなりのひとにはなしかけられた。	Densha no naka de tonari no hito ni hanashikakerareta.	I was talked to by the person next to me on the train.

Common mistake: ❌ 私は母から叱られた → ✓ 私は母に叱られた (Agent in passive = に, not から)

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2. Causative Form 〜させる / 〜せる (Make/Let Someone Do)

Formation:

• u-verbs: change final u-row → a-row + せる (書く → 書かせる; 飲む → 飲ませる)
• ru-verbs: drop る + させる (食べる → 食べさせる)
• する → させる; 来る → 来させる

Meaning: The subject (usually a person in authority) causes or allows someone else to perform an action. Context determines whether it means "make" (forced) or "let" (permitted).

• Make: 母は私に野菜を食べさせた (My mother made me eat vegetables)
• Let/Allow: 母は私を旅行に行かせた (My mother let me go on the trip)

Particle use: The person being made/allowed uses に (transitive verbs) or を (intransitive verbs).

Japanese	Reading	Romaji	English
先生は学生に本を読ませた。	せんせいはがくせいにほんをよませた。	Sensei wa gakusei ni hon o yomaseta.	The teacher made the students read the book.
部長は私に残業させた。	ぶちょうはわたしにざんぎょうさせた。	Buchō wa watashi ni zangyō saseta.	The manager made me work overtime.
子供を一人で遊ばせた。	こどもをひとりであそばせた。	Kodomo o hitori de asobaseta.	I let the child play alone.
少し休ませてください。	すこしやすませてください。	Sukoshi yasumasete kudasai.	Please let me rest a little.

Common mistake: ❌ 先生が私を泣かせました (if the teacher made me cry directly, を is correct for intransitive) → Note: に vs. を depends on verb transitivity — for intransitive verbs (walk, cry, sleep), use を for the person made to do it.

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3. Causative-Passive 〜させられる (Being Forced To Do)

Formation: Causative form + passive: させる → させられる For u-verbs, contraction is common: 読まさせられる → 読まされる

Meaning: The subject is forced or compelled to do something — and they didn't want to. It combines the idea of someone causing the action (causative) with the subject receiving it unwillingly (passive). The causative-passive almost always implies resentment or reluctance on the part of the subject.

Japanese	Reading	Romaji	English
私は先生に長い作文を書かされた。	わたしはせんせいにながいさくぶんをかかされた。	Watashi wa sensei ni nagai sakubun o kakasareta.	I was made to write a long essay by the teacher.
毎日残業させられています。	まいにちざんぎょうさせられています。	Mainichi zangyō saserarete imasu.	I am being made to work overtime every day.
子供の頃、ピアノを練習させられた。	こどものころ、ぴあのをれんしゅうさせられた。	Kodomo no koro, piano o renshū saserareta.	When I was a child, I was made to practice piano.
嫌いな食べ物を食べさせられた。	きらいなたべものをたべさせられた。	Kirai na tabemono o tabesaserareta.	I was forced to eat food I hate.

Common mistake: ❌ Causative-passive = just passive: these are different! 先生に書かれた = "The teacher wrote (it) — I was affected"; 先生に書かされた = "I was made to write by the teacher"

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Dialogues

Dialogue 1: Active vs. Passive — In the Classroom

Ami (A) and Sota (S) discuss what happened in class. Compare active and passive framings.

#	Japanese	Romaji	English	Voice
1	A: 今日、先生は田中くんを叱った。	Kyō, sensei wa Tanaka-kun o shikatta.	Today the teacher scolded Tanaka.	Active
2	S: 田中くんは先生に叱られたの？かわいそう。	Tanaka-kun wa sensei ni shikarareta no? Kawaisō.	Tanaka was scolded by the teacher? Poor him.	Passive
3	A: うん。先生はみんなの前で名前を呼ばれた。	Un. Sensei wa minna no mae de namae o yobareta.	Yeah. He was called out in front of everyone.	Passive
4	S: 先生は田中くんに何を読ませたの？	Sensei wa Tanaka-kun ni nani o yomaseta no?	What did the teacher make Tanaka read?	Causative
5	A: 教科書を全部読まされたんだって。	Kyōkasho o zenbu yomassareta n datte.	Apparently he was made to read the entire textbook.	Causative-passive
6	S: 大変だったね。自分が叱られなくてよかった。	Taihen datta ne. Jibun ga shikararenakute yokatta.	That sounds tough. I'm glad I wasn't scolded.	Passive
7	A: 私も昨日、先生に作文を直させられたよ。	Watashi mo kinō, sensei ni sakubun o naosaserareta yo.	I was also made to correct my essay by the teacher yesterday.	Causative-passive
8	S: みんな大変だね。来週はもっと準備してこよう。	Minna taihen da ne. Raishū wa motto junbi shite koyō.	Everyone's having it tough. Let's come more prepared next week.	—

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Dialogue 2: Office Life — Causative and Causative-Passive

Hiroshi (H) is complaining to his friend Nami (N) about work.

#	Japanese	Romaji	English
1	H: 今日も残業させられた。もう嫌だ。	Kyō mo zangyō saserareta. Mō iya da.	I was made to work overtime again today. I'm done with it.
2	N: 大変だったね。誰が残業させたの？	Taihen datta ne. Dare ga zangyō saseta no?	That sounds rough. Who made you work overtime?
3	H: 部長が私だけ残業させたんだよ。	Buchō ga watashi dake zangyō saseta n da yo.	The manager made only me work overtime.
4	N: それはひどいね。何をさせられたの？	Sore wa hidoi ne. Nani o saserareta no?	That's terrible. What were you made to do?
5	H: 書類を全部整理させられた。3時間もかかったよ。	Shorui o zenbu seiri saserareta. Sanjikan mo kakatta yo.	I was made to organize all the documents. It took three whole hours.
6	N: ひどい！あなたは何も悪いことをしていないのに。	Hidoi! Anata wa nani mo warui koto o shite inai noni.	That's awful! You haven't done anything wrong.
7	H: うん。毎日こんな感じで、本当に疲れてきた。	Un. Mainichi konna kanji de, hontō ni tsukarete kita.	Yeah. It's like this every day and I've really gotten tired.
8	N: 上司に直接話してみたら？	Jōshi ni chokusetsu hanashite mitara?	How about trying to talk directly to your supervisor?
9	H: 話したことがあるんだけど、聞いてもらえなかった。	Hanashita koto ga aru n da kedo, kiite moraenakatta.	I've tried talking, but I couldn't get them to listen.
10	N: そうか。転職を考えてみてもいいかもね。	Sō ka. Tenshoku o kangaete mite mo ii kamo ne.	I see. Maybe it's worth thinking about changing jobs.
11	H: そうだね。もうこれ以上働かされたくない。	Sō da ne. Mō kore ijō hatarakasaretakunai.	You're right. I don't want to be made to work any more than this.

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Dialogue 3: Childhood Memories — Mixed Voices

Yuko (Y) and Makoto (M) reminisce about their childhoods.

#	Japanese	Romaji	English
1	Y: 子供の頃、親に何かやらされましたか。	Kodomo no koro, oya ni nanika yarasaremashita ka.	Were you made to do anything by your parents as a child?
2	M: うん、毎日ピアノを練習させられたよ。好きじゃなかったけど。	Un, mainichi piano o renshū saserareta yo. Suki ja nakatta kedo.	Yeah, I was made to practice piano every day. I didn't like it though.
3	Y: 私は書道を習わされた。泣いたことが何度もある。	Watashi wa shodō o narawasareta. Naita koto ga nandomo aru.	I was made to learn calligraphy. I cried many times.
4	M: 親に褒められることもあったよ。上手くなったとき。	Oya ni homerareru koto mo atta yo. Umaku natta toki.	I was also praised by my parents sometimes. When I got better.
5	Y: そうだよね。今になって、やらせてくれた親に感謝してる。	Sō da yo ne. Ima ni natte, yarasete kureta oya ni kansha shiteru.	That's true. Now I'm grateful to my parents for making me do it.
6	M: 私も同じ。子供ができたら、ピアノを習わせたいな。	Watashi mo onaji. Kodomo ga dekitara, piano o narawasasetai na.	Me too. If I have children, I want to make them learn piano.

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Grammar Drills

Conjugate the given verb into the form indicated. Answers below.

1. 書く → passive: ___
2. 食べる → causative: ___
3. する → causative-passive: ___
4. 飲む → causative-passive (contracted): ___
5. 来る → passive: ___
6. 話す → causative: ___
7. 見る → passive: ___
8. 読む → causative-passive (contracted): ___
9. 走る → passive: ___
10. 起きる → causative: ___

Answer Key:

1. 書かれる
2. 食べさせる
3. させられる
4. 飲まされる（← 飲まさせられる）
5. 来られる
6. 話させる
7. 見られる
8. 読まされる（← 読まさせられる）
9. 走られる
10. 起きさせる

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Translation Practice

English → Japanese

1. I was scolded by my mother. (use passive)
2. The teacher made the students write a report. (use causative)
3. I was made to wait for two hours. (use causative-passive)
4. My wallet was stolen (by someone). (use passive)
5. Please let me try this. (use causative — request form)

Answers:

1. 私は母に叱られた。
2. 先生は学生にレポートを書かせた。
3. 2時間も待たされた。
4. 財布を盗まれた。
5. これをやらせてください。

Japanese → English

1. 昨日、雨に降られて、びしょぬれになった。
2. 部長は私に会議の資料を準備させました。
3. 子供の頃、毎日野菜を食べさせられた。
4. 彼女は友達に秘密を話されてしまった。
5. 先生に発表させられて、とても緊張した。

Answers:

1. Yesterday I got rained on and became soaked.
2. The manager had me prepare the meeting materials.
3. When I was a child, I was made to eat vegetables every day.
4. Her secret was told by her friend (she was adversely affected by her friend telling her secret).
5. I was made to give a presentation by the teacher, and I was very nervous.

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Cultural Note

The suffering passive (迷惑の受け身) reveals something profound about how Japanese culture conceptualizes personal space and the impact of others' actions. In English, "It rained" is simply a weather report. In Japanese, 雨に降られた ("I was rained on") transforms the same event into a personal narrative of inconvenience — the speaker positions themselves as affected by the rain's action. This linguistic choice reflects a cultural tendency to acknowledge how the world's events affect the individual, rather than treating events as neutral background facts.

The causative-passive (させられる) similarly reflects Japanese workplace culture, where hierarchy and obligation are central. When a junior employee says 残業させられました (I was made to work overtime), the grammar encodes both the power dynamic (the boss caused this) and the speaker's subordinate experience of it. Interestingly, the distinction between 残業させてもらいました (I was allowed to work overtime — framed as a privilege) and 残業させられました (I was forced to work overtime — framed as imposition) using the same grammatical family shows how Japanese grammar can diplomatically frame the same situation very differently depending on social context.

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Self-Check

1. What is the particle used to mark the agent (person who does the action) in a passive sentence?
2. Explain the suffering passive. Give an original example sentence.
3. What is the difference in nuance between 先生が歌わせた and 先生に歌わされた?
4. Conjugate 飲む into: (a) passive, (b) causative, (c) causative-passive (contracted form).
5. Your boss made you stay late to finish a report and you resented it. How would you describe this in Japanese using causative-passive?