Video
Let’s watch this short video for a quick overview.
Source: gokigen japanese official YouTube Channel
Introduction
This lesson explains how Japanese uses the passive form to focus on the person or thing affected by an action.
You will learn the core pattern, how to conjugate verbs, and three natural uses: when something unfortunate happens to you, when the doer is unknown or unimportant, and even when the result is positive (being praised or helped).
1. What is the Japanese passive?
The passive highlights the receiver of an action rather than the doer.
In everyday Japanese it’s especially common when you talk about being affected by someone else’s action (often an unwanted result), but it is also used for neutral facts and even good news.
2. Conjugation: how to make れる・られる
ru-verbs
Remove る and add られる.
- 見る → 見られる
- 食べる → 食べられる
u-verbs
Drop the final -u and add -aれる.
- 壊す (kowasu, to break) → 壊される (kowasareru, to be broken)
- 聞く (kiku, to hear) → 聞かれる (kikareru, to be heard)
- 買う (kau, to buy) → 買われる (kawareru, to be bought)
- Note: for the end of う,”w” sound intervenes
Irregular
- する (to do) → される (to be done)
- 来る (to come) → 来られる (to be come)
Passive forms then behave like regular ru-verbs for further conjugation (ます-form, て-form, past, etc.).
Example: 壊される (to be broken)
| short forms affirmative | short forms negative | long forms affirmative | long forms negative | |
| present | 壊される | 壊されない | 壊されます | 壊されません |
| past | 壊された | 壊されなかった | 壊されました | 壊されませんでした |
| te-form | 壊されて | 壊されなくて | – | – |
Note: passive form and potential form
For ru-verbs and “来る”, the passive form and the potential form have the same shape.
- 見られる = to be seen / can see
- 食べられる = to be eaten / can eat
- 来られる = to be come to / have someone come (passive) / can come
So, you need to understand the meaning from context and particles.
| Verb | Passive | Potential |
|---|---|---|
| 見る to see | 彼氏にスマホを見られた My boyfriend went through my phone | 奈良ではシカが見られる You can see deer in Nara |
| 食べる to eat | 昨日買ったケーキを妹に食べられた My sister ate the cake I bought yesterday | 私は納豆を食べられる I can eat natto |
| 来る to come | 急に家に来られて迷惑だった It was a hassle when you showed up at my house out of the blue | 明日の会議には来られますか Can you come to tomorrow’s meeting? |
3. Core sentence pattern you’ll use
Basic passive sentence structure is [Doee] は [Doer] に (Object を) V-れる/られる.
- The doee is the person affected by the action, which is followed by は or が.
- The doer is the one that performs the action, which is expressed by に.
- The action is expressed with passive forms.
Examples:
私は だれかに財布を盗まれました。
I had my wallet stolen by someone.
八時に母に起こされました。
I was woken up by my mother at 8 o’clock.
The doer is marked by に, and the affected person/thing (the “doee”) is usually marked by は (topic) or が (subject).
You may also use passive forms when describing the person who takes the action is either not important or unknown to you.
In this case, the sentence is simply a neutral report of facts.
このビルは2000年に建てられました。
This building was built in 2000.
日本では円が使われています。
Yen is used in Japan.
4. Meanings you need to sound natural
A) Adversity passive
When someone’s actions cause you trouble or have an unpleasant effect on you:
私は兄にアイスクリームを食べられました。
My brother ate my ice cream (and I’m not happy about it).
B) Neutral/impersonal report
When providing an objective explanation, and when the “doer” is unknown or the doer is not significant.
この神社は1000年 以上 前に建てられました。
This shrine was built over 1,000 years ago.
C) Positive passive
When someone praises you, helps you, or has a positive influence on you.
大変な時、私は友だちに助けられました。
During difficult times, my friends helped me.
5. Passive with intransitive verbs
Japanese sometimes uses the passive even with intransitive verbs.
Example: 雨に降られました。
I got rained on / I got caught in the rain.
This is different from the basic passive pattern with a direct object. Here, the speaker is not the doer of the action. Instead, the speaker is the person affected by the event.
6. Example sentences
だれかにパソコンを使われました。
I had my computer used by someone.
その有名な絵は泥棒に盗まれました。
The famous painting was stolen by thieves.
母に日記を読まれました。
My diary was read by my mother.
アメリカではドルが使われています。
The dollar is used in the United States.
部屋に虫がいますね。私は虫に刺されました。
There’s a bug in the room. I got stung.
その生徒は先生にほめられました。
The student was praised by the teacher.
朝の九時に母に起こされました。
I was woken up by my mother at 9 o’clock in the morning.
7. Practice time
A) Conjugate into passive (れる／られる)
Example: 聞く → 聞かれる
| Cue | Answer |
|---|---|
| 飲む (to drink) | 飲まれる |
| 言う (to say) | 言われる |
| 貼る (to stick) | 貼られる |
| 盗む (to steal) | 盗まれる |
| 刺す (to stab) | 刺される |
| 置く (to put) | 置かれる |
| ほめる (to praise) | ほめられる |
| する (to do) | される |
| 来る (to come) | 来られる |
B) Change active to passive
| Cue | Example Answer |
|---|---|
| だれかがメアリーのパソコンを盗みました。 Someone stole Mary’s computer. | メアリーはだれかにパソコンを盗まれました。 Mary had her computer stolen. |
| 先生は生徒をほめました。 The teacher praised the student. | 生徒は先生にほめられました。 The student was praised by the teacher. |
| あの人が私をけりました。 That person kicked me. | 私はあの人にけられました。 I was kicked by that person. |
C) Say what happened to you (use passive)
| Cue | Example Answer |
|---|---|
| 虫／刺す | 虫に刺されました。 I was bitten by an insect. |
| 母／日記／読む | 母に日記を読まれました。 My mother read my diary. |
| 兄／自転車／使う | 兄に自転車を使われました。 My brother borrowed my bike. |
8. Common mistakes (and quick fixes)
× 先生は私にほめられました。
This says “The teacher was praised by me.” If you mean “I was praised,” say: 私は先生にほめられました。
× 日本では円を使われています。
Use が with the passive in this neutral statement: 日本では円が使われています。
FAQ
- QWhat’s the biggest difference between れる/られる (passive) and できる (dekiru – potential)?
- A
Passive (れる/られる): Focuses on the receiver of an action. Something happens TO the subject. 私は先生に褒められました。 (I was praised by the teacher.)
Potential (できる/potential form): Focuses on the ability of the subject. The subject can DO something. 私は日本語が話せます。 (I can speak Japanese.)
For Group 2 verbs (ru-verbs), 見られる can mean “to be seen” (passive) or “can see” (potential). Context and particles (especially に for the doer in passive, が for the object in potential) are key.
- QDoes the passive always mean something bad happened to the subject?
- A
No, not always. This is a common misunderstanding.
- Adversity Passive: Often used when an action causes the subject trouble or inconvenience. (e.g., 財布を盗まれました – My wallet was stolen.)
- Neutral/Impersonal Report: When the doer is unknown or unimportant, or for objective facts. (e.g., このビルは1980年に建てられました – This building was built in 1980.)
- Positive Passive: When the subject benefits from the action, like being praised or helped. (e.g., 先生に褒められました – I was praised by the teacher.)
- QWhen should I use に (ni) vs. によって (ni yotte) for the doer in a passive sentence?
- A
に (ni): This is the most common and versatile particle for the doer in passive sentences, especially when the doer is a person or animal. It’s used in everyday conversation and for both adversity and positive passive.
によって (ni yotte): This is more formal and often used when the doer is a large organization, an abstract concept, or in written/academic contexts, particularly for neutral reports. It emphasizes the “agency” of the doer. In addition, it is especially common with verbs such as 書く (write), 描く (paint/draw), 作る (make/create), 建てる (build). In these cases, the subject is often non-human, such as a book, painting, building, law, or song.
- この法律は国によって決められました。
This law was decided by the country. - この本は村上春樹によって書かれました。
This book was written by Haruki Murakami.
- この法律は国によって決められました。
- QCan I omit the doer (the person who performs the action) in a passive sentence?
- A
Yes, absolutely! If the doer is unknown, irrelevant, or obvious from context, it’s very common to omit them. This often happens in neutral reports.
このビルは去年 建てられました。 (This building was built last year. – Doer is omitted)
- QWhat’s the difference between “direct passive” and “indirect passive” in Japanese?
- A
- Direct passive: similar to English passive. The subject directly receives the action.
- その生徒は先生にほめられました。
The student was praised by the teacher.
- その生徒は先生にほめられました。
- Indirect passive: the subject is affected by someone else’s action, even if the action is done to something related to the subject. This type is more characteristically Japanese.
- 私は弟にケーキを食べられました。
My brother ate my cake (and it affected me).
- 私は弟にケーキを食べられました。
- Direct passive: similar to English passive. The subject directly receives the action.
Conclusion
The passive れる・られる centers the person or thing affected by an action. Build it with (Doee) は／が (Doer) に V-れる／られる, apply the right conjugation, and choose the use that fits your message: adversity, neutral report, or positive result.
Review a few examples each day and rewrite active sentences into natural passive Japanese—you’ll quickly feel when and why native speakers choose it.
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