Causative-Passive in Japanese

Overview

The causative-passive is a combination of the causative form (making/letting someone do something) and the passive form (being affected by an action). Together, they create a construction that means "was made to do" or "was forced to do" -- expressing that the subject was compelled to perform an action against their will or without their choice.

This is one of the longer and more complex verb conjugations in Japanese, but it is surprisingly common in everyday speech. Whenever you want to express frustration about being forced to do something -- waiting, eating, drinking, working -- the causative-passive is the natural choice.

At the B1 level, this form rounds out your understanding of Japanese voice conjugations and gives you a powerful tool for expressing personal experiences of compulsion.

How It Works

Formation

The causative-passive is formed by taking the causative form and then applying passive conjugation:

Verb Class	Dictionary	Causative	Causative-Passive
Godan	書く	書かせる	書かせられる
Godan	読む	読ませる	読ませられる
Godan	飲む	飲ませる	飲ませられる
Godan	待つ	待たせる	待たせられる
Ichidan	食べる	食べさせる	食べさせられる
Irregular	する	させる	させられる
Irregular	来る	来させる	来させられる

Shortened forms (godan verbs only)

Godan verbs have widely used shortened causative-passive forms:

Full Form	Shortened Form	Example
書かせられる	書かされる	was made to write
飲ませられる	飲まされる	was made to drink
待たせられる	待たされる	was made to wait
歩かせられる	歩かされる	was made to walk

The shortened forms are standard in spoken Japanese and perfectly acceptable in most writing. They are much easier to pronounce.

Note: Ichidan verbs and irregulars do not have shortened forms. 食べさせられる stays as is.

Sentence structure

[Subject] は [Agent] に [Verb causative-passive]

Element	Example
Subject (one forced)	私は
Agent (one forcing)	母に
Action	野菜を食べさせられた
Full sentence	私は母に野菜を食べさせられた。

Examples in Context

Japanese	English	Note
たくさん飲まされました。	I was made to drink a lot.	Shortened form
三時間も待たされました。	I was made to wait for 3 hours.	Shortened, も for emphasis
嫌いな物を食べさせられました。	I was forced to eat something I dislike.	Ichidan, full form
毎日勉強させられています。	I'm being made to study every day.	Ongoing state
子供の時、ピアノを習わされました。	As a child, I was made to learn piano.	Shortened form
上司に残業させられた。	I was made to work overtime by my boss.	Workplace context
重い荷物を持たされました。	I was made to carry heavy luggage.	Shortened form
つまらない映画を見させられた。	I was forced to watch a boring movie.	Ichidan full form
歌を歌わされて恥ずかしかった。	I was made to sing and it was embarrassing.	Shortened + emotion
長い間、立たされました。	I was made to stand for a long time.	Shortened form

Common Mistakes

Using the wrong shortened form

• Wrong: 食べさされる
• Right: 食べさせられる
• Why: Shortened forms only exist for godan verbs. Ichidan verbs like 食べる keep the full causative-passive: 食べさせられる.

Confusing causative-passive with simple passive

• Wrong: 飲まれた (meaning "was drunk" -- passive only)
• Right: 飲まされた (meaning "was made to drink" -- causative-passive)
• Why: The passive alone means the action was done to the subject. The causative-passive means someone forced the subject to perform the action themselves.

Forgetting に for the agent

• Wrong: 上司が残業させられた。
• Right: 上司に残業させられた。
• Why: The person who forces the action (agent) is marked by に in causative-passive sentences, just like in regular passive.

Usage Notes

The causative-passive almost always carries a negative connotation -- the speaker is expressing that they were forced, compelled, or inconvenienced. It rarely appears in positive contexts. If someone "let" you do something willingly, you would use the plain causative with てもらう or てくれる instead.

In casual speech, the shortened forms are strongly preferred for godan verbs. Using the full form (飲ませられる instead of 飲まされる) can sound stiff or overly formal in conversation.

This form is particularly common when talking about childhood experiences (things parents or teachers made you do), military/school contexts, and workplace complaints.

Practice Tips

• Think back to things you were made to do as a child or student. Write at least five sentences using causative-passive to describe those experiences.
• Practice distinguishing between the three voices with the same verb: 飲む (drink), 飲まれる (was drunk/passive), 飲ませる (make drink/causative), 飲まされる (was made to drink/causative-passive).
• Focus on mastering the shortened forms for godan verbs, as they are what you will hear and use most often.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Causative Form -- you need to understand causative formation before adding passive to it