Japanese grammar
What does 受身形 (passive form) mean? Japanese grammar N4
受身形 (passive form) means be ~ed / get ~ed.
| Level (estimated, JLPT framework) | N4 |
|---|---|
| Structure | A は B に V (passive) A は B に N を V (passive) N が／は V (passive) (passive with no agent) |
| Romaji | ukemi-kei |
| Meaning | be ~ed / get ~ed |
Forming it
| Group 1 (godan) | Change the final う-row sound to the あ-row, then add れる: よむ → よまれる、いう → いわれる (note う → わ)、とる → とられる |
|---|---|
| After conjugating | Passive verbs always become GROUP 2 verbs: 読まれる → 読まれます、読まれない |
| Group 2 (ichidan) | Drop る and add られる: たべる → たべられる、みる → みられる |
| Group 3 (irregular) | する → される、くる → こられる |
How to use it
Talking about the subject being affected by another person/thing — often carrying a nuance of annoyance.
- Basic structure: the person affected becomes the subject (は), and the person causing the action takes に. 「私は先生に褒められました」= I was praised by the teacher. The particle に is the key — it points to the "doer".
- A MAJOR DIFFERENCE from Vietnamese: Japanese passive often carries a nuance of ANNOYANCE or harm (called 迷惑の受身 — the "adversity passive"). 「雨に降られました」 literally translates as "was rained on" — the real meaning is "I got caught in the rain, how unlucky". Vietnamese has no equivalent way of saying this, so learners find it very hard to get used to.
- There is a special type of passive: verbs that normally have no object (降る、来る、死ぬ) can still be conjugated into the passive, and it always carries an annoying nuance: 「友達に来られて、勉強できませんでした」= a friend came (unexpectedly) and it kept me from studying.
- When something of yours is lost/damaged, the subject is the PERSON, not the object, and the object keeps を: 「私は財布を盗まれました」= I had my wallet stolen. This structure is very Japanese and needs separate practice.
- There is also an objective/neutral passive — used a lot in writing and news, when there's no need to say who did it: 「この寺は300年前に建てられました」 (this temple was built 300 years ago). This type does NOT carry any annoyance nuance.
Examples
弟に私のケーキを食べられました。
My little brother ate my cake (and I am annoyed).
帰る時、雨に降られて、服が濡れました。
I got rained on while going home, and my clothes got wet.
このお寺は約300年前に建てられました。
This temple was built about 300 years ago.
Keep in mind
- The passive form is identical to the potential form for group 2 verbs (食べられる) — you must look at context and particles to tell them apart.
- For objects created by a person, the agent uses によって instead of に: 「この本は有名な作家によって書かれました」.
Common mistakes
-
Wrong泥棒が私の財布を盗まれました。
The thief stole my wallet.
Correct私は財布を盗まれました。
The subject of the passive must be the PERSON AFFECTED (me, the one who lost the wallet), not the one who performed the action. Making 泥棒 (the thief) the subject of 盗まれる turns the sentence into "the thief had his wallet stolen" — the exact opposite of what's intended.
-
Wrong母に「早く起きなさい」と言れました。
My mother told me "get up early".
Correct母に「早く起きなさい」と言われました。
言う belongs to group 1; when its final う shifts to the あ-row it must become わ (not あ) → 言われる. Learners very often forget this う→わ rule.
Exam tips
- Look at the particle to distinguish passive from potential: 「～に」 marking a person → passive. 「～が」 marking an object → potential.
- The adversity passive (雨に降られる、友達に来られる) is almost certain to be tested in N4.