You have probably noticed that Japanese has this specific cultural difference from a lot of other languages. One of the most important pieces of Japanese grammar in which you can see this is the passive voice. In English, we use the passive to change the focus of a sentence (e.g., “The ball was hit” instead of “He hit the ball”). Japanese does this too, but it also adds a unique and expressive layer: the ability to describe how you are affected by an action, often negatively. This is often called the “suffering passive.”
Mastering the passive voice, or 受け身 (うけみ), is essential for moving beyond simple sentences. It allows you to express nuanced feelings, talk about events from a different angle, and understand a huge range of natural, everyday Japanese. This article will guide you through how to form the passive voice, explain its two distinct “flavors,” and help you internalize this fundamental concept.
Understanding the Passive Voice
Imagine your friend is telling you a story. If they say, “A dog bit me,” the focus is on the dog’s action. That’s the active voice. But if they say, “I was bitten by a dog,” the focus shifts to their experience. That’s the passive voice. The core idea is the same in Japanese.
The key to the Japanese passive is learning its specific conjugation pattern. Just like you learn the polite `～ます` (masu) form, the passive has its own set of rules for each verb group. Once you know the pattern, you can apply it to almost any verb.
How to Form the Passive Voice
Creating the passive form is a systematic process that depends on the verb group. Let’s break it down with more examples.
Conjugating Godan Verbs for Passive Voice
Change the final ‘u’ vowel sound to its ‘a’ equivalent and add れる (reru).
- 書く (かく, kaku) → 書か (kaka) + れる → 書かれる (kakareru) – to be written
- 読む (よむ, yomu) → 読ま (yoma) + れる → 読まれる (yomareru) – to be read
- 呼ぶ (よぶ, yobu) → 呼ば (yoba) + れる → 呼ばれる (yobareru) – to be called
- 待つ (まつ, matsu) → 待た (mata) + れる → 待たれる (matareru) – to be waited for
- 作る (つくる, tsukuru) → 作ら (tsukura) + れる → 作られる (tsukurareru) – to be made
*Special Case: For verbs ending in う (u), it changes to わ (wa) before adding れる
- 言う (いう, iu) → 言わ (iwa) + れる → 言われる (iwareru) – to be said
- 買う (かう, kau) → 買わ (kawa) + れる → 買われる (kawareru) – to be bought
Conjugating Ichidan Verbs for Passive Voice
This is the easy one! Simply drop the final る (ru) and add られる (rareru).
- 食べる (たべる, taberu) → 食べ (tabe) + られる → 食べられる (taberareru) – to be eaten
- 見る (みる, miru) → 見 (mi) + られる → 見られる (mirareru) – to be seen
- 信じる (しんじる, shinjiru) → 信じ (shinji) + られる → 信じられる (shinjirareru) – to be believed
- 忘れる (わすれる, wasureru) → 忘れ (wasure) + られる → 忘れられる (wasurerareru) – to be forgotten
Conjugating Irregular Verbs for Passive Voice
As always, these two just need to be memorized.
- する (suru) → される (sareru) – to be done
- 来る (くる, kuru) → 来られる (こられる, korareru) – to be come
The Two Flavors of Passive: Direct vs. Suffering
Now that you can form the passive, let’s look at how it’s used. This is where Japanese grammar truly shines with its unique expressiveness.
The Direct Passive (直接受身, ちょくせつうけみ)
This works just like the English passive. The person or thing that receives the action becomes the topic of the sentence. The “doer” of the action is marked by the particle に (ni).
Example 1:
Active:
先生が私を褒めました
せんせいがわたしをほめました
Sensei ga watashi o homemashita
The teacher praised me
Passive:
私は先生に褒められました
わたしはせんせいにほめられました
Watashi wa sensei ni homeraremashita
I was praised by the teacher
Example 2:
Active:
多くの人がこの本を読みました
おおくのひとがこのほんをよみました
Ōku no hito ga kono hon o yomimashita
Many people read this book.
Passive:
この本は多くの人に読まれました
このほんはおおくのひとによまれました
(Kono hon wa ōku no hito ni yomaremashita
This book was read by many people.
Example 3
Active:
弟が私のケーキを食べました
おとうとがわたしのケーキをたべました
Otōto ga watashi no kēki o tabemashita
My younger brother ate my cake.
Passive:
私のケーキは弟に食べられました
わたしのケーキはおとうとにたべられました
Watashi no kēki wa otōto ni taberaremashita
My cake was eaten by my younger brother
The Indirect or “Suffering” Passive (間接受身, かんせつうけみ)
This is a concept that doesn’t really exist in English. It’s used when someone’s action indirectly and negatively affects you. You become the topic of the sentence to show that you were inconvenienced or harmed by what happened. This is why it’s often called the “suffering” or “adversative” passive.
Example 1: Getting rained on
Active:
雨が降りました。
あめがふりました。
Ame ga furimashita.
Rain fell.
Suffering Passive:
私は雨に降られました。
わたしはあめにふられました。
Watashi wa ame ni furaremashita.
I was rained on (and it was an inconvenience).
Example 2: Someone eating your food
Active:
弟が私のケーキを食べました。
おとうとがわたしのケーキをたべました。
Otōto ga watashi no kēki o tabemashita.
My brother ate my cake.
Suffering Passive:
私は弟にケーキを食べられました。
わたしはおとうとにケーキをたべられました。
Watashi wa otōto ni kēki o taberaremashita.
I was affected by my brother eating the cake (and I’m not happy about it!)
Example 3: A baby crying at night
Active: 赤ちゃんが夜に泣きました。
あかちゃんがよるになきました。
Akachan ga yoru ni nakimashita.
The baby cried at night.
Suffering Passive:
私は赤ちゃんに夜に泣かれました。
わたしはあかちゃんによるになかれました。
Watashi wa akachan ni yoru ni nakaremashita.
I was subjected to the baby crying at night (and I couldn’t sleep).
Example 4: Having your foot stepped on
Active: 男の人が私の足を踏みました
おとこのひとがわたしのあしをふみました
Otoko no hito ga watashi no ashi o fumimashita
A man stepped on my foot.
Suffering Passive:
私は男の人に足を踏まれました
わたしはおとこのひとにあしをふまれました
Watashi wa otoko no hito ni ashi o fumaremashita
I had my foot stepped on by a man.
Why Does the “Suffering” Passive Exist?
The existence of the suffering passive offers a glimpse into a common perspective in Japanese communication. It provides a grammatical structure to place yourself at the center of an event and explain how that event impacted you. It’s a way of framing the world in terms of how external actions affect your personal sphere.
Rather than simply stating a fact (“someone smoked”), the suffering passive allows the speaker to convey their personal experience (“I was subjected to someone smoking”). This subject-centered view is a powerful and frequently used tool in the language.
Strategies for Mastering the Passive Voice
Getting comfortable with the passive voice takes practice, but these strategies can help:
- Master the Conjugations First: Use flashcards or drills to make the conjugation rules for each verb group automatic. You can’t use the grammar if you can’t form it quickly.
- Focus on Particles: Pay close attention to the particles. In a passive sentence, the doer of the action is marked with に (ni), and the person affected becomes the topic, usually marked with は (wa) or が (ga). Getting this right is crucial.
- Listen for Nuance: When you’re listening to Japanese, try to identify when the passive is used. Ask yourself: Is this just a direct passive, or is the speaker expressing that they were somehow inconvenienced? This will help you develop a feel for the “suffering” passive.
- Create Your Own “Suffering” Sentences: Think of annoying things that can happen in a day. Someone took your parking spot. A child cried on the train. Your neighbor played loud music. Try to frame these events using the suffering passive with yourself as the topic.
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