Japanese grammar · Intermediate (B1)
The passive
Forming the passive (～られる, ～れる), the direct passive, the passive in news and customs, the “suffering” passive and ～によって.
Forming the passive
In a passive sentence, the person or thing the action happens to becomes the subject: “I was praised”. Ru-verbs replace る with ～られる (-rareru). U-verbs change their last sound to the a row and add ～れる (-reru); a final う becomes わ: (iu) → (iwareru). (suru) becomes (sareru) and (kuru) becomes (korareru).
Every passive form is a ru-verb and conjugates like one: (iwareta), (iwarete), (iwaremasen). For ru-verbs the passive looks the same as the potential; the context tells you which is meant.
| Verb | Passive | Polite | Past |
|---|---|---|---|
| (taberu), eat | (taberareru) | (taberaremasu) | (taberareta) |
| (miru), see | (mirareru) | (miraremasu) | (mirareta) |
| (iu), say | (iwareru) | (iwaremasu) | (iwareta) |
| (kaku), write | (kakareru) | (kakaremasu) | (kakareta) |
| (erabu), choose | (erabareru) | (erabaremasu) | (erabareta) |
| (nusumu), steal | (nusumareru) | (nusumaremasu) | (nusumareta) |
| (suru), do | (sareru) | (saremasu) | (sareta) |
| (kuru), come | (korareru) | (koraremasu) | (korareta) |
The direct passive: who did it takes に
The person who does the action is marked with (ni): (sensei ni homerareta), I was praised by my teacher. Japanese uses the passive most often when a person is affected by what someone else does, so the subject is often “I”, and it's left out.
When English uses the passive just to avoid naming who did something, Japanese often prefers an active sentence with no subject: (koko de shashin o totte wa ikemasen), photos may not be taken here.
- 部長に褒められました。Buchō ni homeraremashita.I was praised by the department head.
- 子供の時、よく母に怒られました。Kodomo no toki, yoku haha ni okoraremashita.When I was a child, I often got told off by my mother.
- 駅で外国人に道を聞かれた。Eki de gaikokujin ni michi o kikareta.At the station, a visitor from abroad asked me the way.
News, facts and customs
In news, notices and descriptions, the passive is used with things as the subject, much as in English: (atarashii eki ga taterareru), a new station will be built; (kekka ga happyō sareta), the results were announced. (okonawareru), to be held, is very common for events.
Customs and common beliefs are described with ～と言われている (to iwarete iru), it is said that, and ～と呼ばれている (to yobarete iru), it is called.
- 祭りは毎年八月に行われます。Matsuri wa maitoshi hachigatsu ni okonawaremasu.The festival is held every August.
- この寺は八百年前に建てられました。Kono tera wa happyakunen mae ni tateraremashita.This temple was built eight hundred years ago.
- 市長に選ばれたのは、四十代の女性です。Shichō ni erabareta no wa, yonjūdai no josei desu.The person elected mayor is a woman in her forties.
- この町は「小京都」と呼ばれています。Kono machi wa “Shōkyōto” to yobarete imasu.This town is called “Little Kyoto”.
The “suffering” passive
Japanese also uses the passive to say that something happened to you and caused you trouble. Even verbs without an object can be used this way: (ame ni furareta), I got caught in the rain (literally “I was rained on”).
When the action affects something that belongs to you, you stay the subject and the thing keeps (o): (saifu o nusumareta), I had my wallet stolen, not 財布が盗まれた (which is a neutral report). (densha de ashi o fumareta), someone stepped on my foot on the train.
- 旅行中にカメラを盗まれました。Ryokōchū ni kamera o nusumaremashita.I had my camera stolen while travelling.
- 夜中に赤ちゃんに泣かれて、寝られなかった。Yonaka ni akachan ni nakarete, nerarenakatta.The baby cried in the night and I couldn't sleep.
- 帰りに雨に降られて、びしょびしょになった。Kaeri ni ame ni furarete, bishobisho ni natta.I got caught in the rain on the way home and got soaked.
～によって: by (B2)
In formal and written Japanese, the doer of a passive is marked with (ni yotte) instead of (ni), especially for things that someone creates, discovers or decides: (kono shōsetsu wa Natsume Sōseki ni yotte kakareta), this novel was written by Natsume Soseki.
In explanations and on information panels, the passive with things as the subject is common: (denki wa denchi ni takuwaerareru), electricity is stored in the battery. can also mean “by means of” or “depending on”: (kuni ni yotte chigau), it differs from country to country.
- 電話はベルによって発明されました。Denwa wa Beru ni yotte hatsumei saremashita.The telephone was invented by Bell.
- 太陽光のエネルギーは電気に変換される。Taiyōkō no enerugī wa denki ni henkan sareru.Solar energy is converted into electricity.