Video
Let’s watch this short video for a quick overview.
Source: gokigen japanese official YouTube Channel
Introduction
Want to say “I made my brother clean his room” or “My parents let me live alone” in Japanese? You’ll use the causative:
- V-せる／させる (verb form)
- (Causer) は (Causee) に V-せる/させる (sentence pattern)
This form covers both “make someone do” and “let/allow someone to do.”
1. What the causative means
The causative expresses the idea of causing or permitting an action:
- [make someone do something]
母は私に野菜を食べさせました。
My mother made me eat vegetables. - [let / allow someone to do something]
私は息子に好きなことをさせます。
I let my son do what he likes.
We’ll build the verb first (V-せる／させる), then plug it into the sentence pattern.
2. How to form the causative (V-せる／させる)
Ru-verbs
Drop the final -ru and add -saseru.
| verb | causative form |
|---|---|
| 食べる (taberu) to eat | 食べさせる (tabesaseru) to make/let someone eat |
| 寝る (neru) to sleep | 寝させる (nesaseru) to make/let someone sleep |
| 片付ける (katazukeru) to tidy up | 片づけさせる (katazukesaseru) to make/let someone tidy up |
U-verbs
Drop the final -u and add -aseru.
For verbs ending in う, add -waseru.
| verb | causative form |
|---|---|
| 行く (iku) to go | 行かせる (ikaseru) to make/let someone go |
| 飲む (nomu) to drink | 飲ませる (nomaseru) to make/let someone drink |
| 会う (au) to meet | 会わせる (awaseru) to make/let someone meet |
Irregular verbs
| verb | causative form |
|---|---|
| する to do | させる to make/let someone do |
| 来る to come | 来させる to make/let someone come |
| 説明する to explain | 説明させる to make/let someone explain |
| 持ってくる to bring | 持ってこさせる to make/let someone bring |
3. The core sentence pattern
Structure: (Causer) は/が (Causee) に (Object) を [Causative Verb].
Example：先生は生徒に漢字を書かせました。
The teacher made the students write kanji.
に vs を with intransitive verbs
With intransitive verbs (= verbs that do not take a direct object), the causee may be marked by either に or を.
In general:
- に tends to show letting / allowing
- を tends to show making / causing
However, this is not a strict rule. The nuance depends a lot on the context.
1) Cases where both に and を are possible
- 先生は学生に授業中にお手洗いに行かせました。
The teacher let the student go to the restroom during class. - 先生は学生を授業中にお手洗いに行かせました。
The teacher made/sent the student go to the restroom during class.
Both are possible, but the nuance is slightly different. に sounds more like giving permission, while を sounds more like making or causing the action.
2) Cases where に is natural
- 母親は子どもにゲームで遊ばせました。
The mother let her child play a video game.
Here, に is natural because the sentence focuses on allowing the child to do something.
3) Cases where を is natural
- 先生は風邪をひいた生徒を帰らせました。
The teacher made the student who had caught a cold go home.
Here, を is natural because the sentence focuses on the teacher causing the student to leave.
4. Examples you’ll actually say
部長は私に電話をかけさせました。
The department head had me make the call.
後輩に迎えに来させます。
I’ll have a junior come pick (me) up.
後輩にコピーを取らせます。
I’ll make a junior make copies.
娘に 一人 暮らしをさせます。
I let my daughter live alone.
子どもに好きなことをさせたいです。
I want to let my children do what they like.
5. Quick build—mini conjugation drill
Turn each into causative:
- 食べる → 食べさせる
- 考える → 考えさせる
- 働く → 働かせる
- 聞く → 聞かせる
- 来る → 来させる
6. Common mistakes (and fixes)
| ❌ Wrong | Why | ✅ Say this |
|---|---|---|
| 先生は生徒に帰らせました | With intransitives, を can mark the causee when it’s a straight “make”. | 先生は生徒を帰らせました The teacher made the students go home. |
| 買う → 買せる | U-verb rule is a-row + せる; for ～う, insert w. | 買わせる |
| 来る → 来せる | Irregular; memorize. | 来させる（こさせる）. |
7. Practice time!
Make causative sentences from the cues:
| cue | example answer | English |
|---|---|---|
| 子ども／花を育てる | 子どもに花を育てさせます。 | I’ll have the children grow flowers. |
| 学生／英語を翻訳する | 学生に英語を翻訳させます。 | I will have the students translate into English. |
| 弟／ボールをひろう | 弟にボールをひろわせます。 | I’ll have my younger brother pick up the ball. |
| 後輩／迎えに来る | 後輩に迎えに来させます。 | I’ll have my junior come pick you up. |
| 同僚／コピーを取る | 同僚にコピーを取らせます。 | I’ll have my colleague make copies. |
8. FAQ
- QIs there a “passive” version of the causative, meaning “to be made to do”?
- A
Yes, this is called the causative-passive form (V-させられる / V-せられる). It allows the causee (the person who is forced) to be the subject of the sentence, expressing the feeling of being compelled to do something.
- QCan adjectives or nouns be used in the causative form?
- A
The direct causative form V-せる / させる is exclusively for verbs. However, you can express a similar idea of “making something [adjective/noun]” by using ~くする (ku suru) for i-adjectives, ~にする (ni suru) for na-adjectives, and ~にする (ni suru) for nouns.
Example: 部屋をきれいにしました。 (I made the room clean.)
Conclusion
You can now:
- Build causative verbs (ru→させる, u→a-row + せる; ～う → わせる; する→させる; 来る→来させる).
- Write causative sentences with (Causer) は/が (Causee) に (Object) を [Causative Verb] and handle に／を with intransitives based on context.
- Say both “make” and “let/allow” naturally with real examples.
Practice with three real situations from your life (at school, home, or work). Once you can swap in に／を confidently and conjugate on the fly, causatives will start to feel automatic.
