Japanese Grammar Bank

JAPANESE PASSIVE FORM

The passive form in Japanese is called 受身形(うけみけい). It is another form of verb conjugation and it plays an important role in Japanese.

Let’s have a look at its conjugation rule and basic sentence patterns so that you can use the passive form of the verb like a native Japanese speaker.

CONJUGATION RULES

Let us first see what the passive form of a verb looks like.

Each verb conjugates differently according to which verb group they are categorized.

U-verbs

Like other conjugations, U-verbs are a little tricky in passive form too. You have to drop the final -u and replace it with -areru.

PATTERN

Drop the final -u of the verb + replace with -areru

Examples:

Dictionary formPassive form
To go行く / iku行かれる / ikareru
To read読む / yomu読まれる / yomareru
To speak話す / hanasu話される / hanasareru
To drink飲む / nomareru飲まれる / nomareru
To buy買う / kau買われる / kawareru
To wait待つ / matsu待たれる / matareru

Ru-verbs

Ru-verbs have simpler conjugation than u-verbs.

You just need to drop the final -ru and replace it with -rareru.

PATTERN

Drop the final -ru of the verb + replace with -rareru

Examples:

Dictionary formPassive form
To look見る / miru見られる / mirareru
To wear着る / kiru着られる / kirareru
To sell売る / uru売られる / urareru
To return帰る / kaeru帰られる / kaerareru
To take取る / toru取られる / torareru
To chat喋る / shaberu喋られる / shaberareru

Irregular verbs

There are 2 exception verbs as always.

Example:

Dictionary formPassive form
To doする / suruされる / sareru
To come来る / kuru来られる / korareru

SENTENCE STRUCTURE

Let’s see the basic makeup patterns of passive sentences.

Most common

PATTERN #1

N1 [Person 1] + は + N2 [Person 2] + に + Verb passive

In this pattern, N1 [Person 1] is the topic of the sentence, and N2 [Person 2] is marked with に.

私は同僚にデートに誘われました。Watashi wa dooryoo ni deet oni sasoware mashita.I was asked out by my colleague for a date.
私はお母さんに褒められました。Watashi wa okaasan ni homerare mashita.I was praised by my mother.
私はついに彼氏にプロポーズされました。Watashi wa tsuini kareshi kara puropouzu sare mashita.I was finally proposed by my boyfriend.
View More Examples:
私は親友に裏切られました。Watashi wa shinyuu ni uragirare mashita.I was betrayed by my best friend.
今日遅刻をしたので、私は先生に怒られました。Kyou chikoku wo shita node, watashi wa sensei ni okorare mashita.I was scolded by my school teacher because I was late for school today.
言うことを聞かないので、私は父に叩かれました。iu koto o kikanai no de, watakushi wa chichi ni tatakaremashita.I was slapped by my father because I was not obedient to his direction.

Omitting the subject

PATTERN #2

N [thing] + が / は + Verb passive

When you do not need to mention the person who does the action described by a verb, you can make the object of the verb the subject of the sentence.

オリンピックはフランスのパリで開かれました。Orinpikku wa furansu no pari de hirakare mashita.Olympic was held in Paris, France.
次回の会議は大阪で開かれます。Jikai no kaigi wa Osaka de hirakare masu.Next conference will be held in Osaka.
日本のアニメは世界中で愛されています。Nihon no anime wa sekaijuu de aisarete imasu.Japanese anime is loved all around the world.
View More Examples:
昔の日本の財宝が最近発見されました。Mukashi no nihon no zaihoo ga saikin hakken sare mashita.An old Japanese treasure has been discovered recently.
お土産がとても喜ばれました。Omiyage ga totemo yorokobare mashita.My gift was very much liked by the person who received it.
たくさんのコーヒー豆が日本に輸入されています。Takusan no koohii ga nihon ni yunyuu sarete imasu.Many coffee beans are imported into Japan.

Something is made from…

PATTERN #3

Nから / Nで + つくられます

This pattern is used to tell how something is made.

When something is made from a raw material, the material is marked with a particle から.

When it is obvious that something is made of a particular material, the material is marked with a particle で.

日本酒は米から作られます。Nihonshu wa kome kara tsukurare masu.Japanese sake is made from rice.
焼酎は芋か麦から作られます。Shoochuu wa imo ka mugi kara tsukurare masu.Shochu [Japanese spirit] is made from sweet potato or barley.
この船は木で造られました。Kono fune wa kide tsukurare mashita.This ship was made of wood.

Something is discovered by…

PATTERN #4

N1は + N2 [Person] + によって + V passive

When something is made or discovered, and it is stated using a passive verb, N2 [Person] who took that action is indicated by によって.

この遺跡は一人の考古学者によって発見されました。Kono iseki wa kouko gakusha niyotte hakken sare mashita.This historical site was discovered by an archaeologist.
このサインは、私の父によって書かれました。Kono sain wa, watashi no chichi niyotte kakae mashita.This signature was signed by my father.
白熱電球はエジソンによって発明されました。Hakunetsu denkyuu wa ejison niyotte hatsumei sare mashita.The light bulb was invented by Thomas Edison. 

Learn Japanese with FlexiClasses

Book online classes with the best teachers in the industry.

REGISTER

FAQs

What is the passive form in Japanese?

The passive form in Japanese is used to indicate that the subject of the sentence is being acted upon by someone or something else.

It’s commonly used to express actions done to the subject, rather than by the subject.

Check out our lesson for all sentence structures.

How to form the passive form in Japanese?

To form the passive, for -u verbs, replace the final -u with -areru.

For -ru verbs, replace the -ru with -rareru. Irregular verbs like する (suru) become される (sareru) and 来る (kuru) becomes 来られる (korareru).

When to use the passive form?

Use the passive form when you want to emphasize the object or receiver of an action, rather than the doer. It’s also used in situations where the agent is unknown, unimportant, or omitted.

What difference between direct and indirect?

Direct passive describes actions that physically affect the subject (e.g., “I was hit”). Indirect passive describes actions that indirectly affect the subject, often resulting in inconvenience or negative consequences (e.g., “I had my umbrella stolen”)

Where to find more Japanese lessons?

We regularly publish free Japanese lessons on our Japanese Grammar Bank.

Can I book Japanese classes with LTL?

Yes!

You can book online Japanese lessons on our platform Flexi Classes.

If you’d prefer to study Japanese abroad, check out our immersion programs in Tokyo.

MORE FREE LESSONS