Passive Voice in Japanese

In Brief

The Japanese passive presents someone or something as receiving an action: 先生が私を褒めた (“the teacher praised me”) becomes 私は先生に褒められた (“I was praised by the teacher”). Form it with -a + れる for godan verbs, られる for ichidan verbs, and the irregular forms される and 来られる. The doer is often marked by に, while the receiver is marked by は or が.

Overview

The passive voice lets you describe an event from the receiver’s point of view. In grammatical terms, the subject (the person or thing the sentence is built around) does not perform the action; it receives it. This is similar to English “was praised” or “is read,” but the match is not exact. Japanese uses the passive both to shift attention away from the doer and to show that an event affected someone personally.

At B1, the essential task is to learn the verb forms and the basic direct passive: 私は先生に褒められました, “I was praised by the teacher.” You should also recognise the common affected or adversative use, as in 雨に降られました, “I got caught in the rain.” An adversative passive presents an event as unwelcome, troublesome, or beyond the speaker’s control. Not every passive is negative, however: being praised, chosen, or loved can clearly be positive.

The passive is common in conversation, personal stories, news, formal descriptions, and writing about inventions, buildings, books, and public decisions. English speakers should resist translating every English passive word for word. Japanese may prefer an active sentence when the doer is obvious, and its affected passive can express a viewpoint that English often conveys with “got,” “had,” or a completely active construction.

How It Works

The basic change from active to passive

Start with an active sentence:

• 先生が私を褒めました。 — “The teacher praised me.”

Here, 先生 is the doer, marked by が, and 私 is the direct object (the person directly receiving the action), marked by を. In the passive, the receiver becomes the topic or subject, and the doer becomes the agent (the person or force carrying out the action), usually marked by に:

• 私は先生に褒められました。 — “I was praised by the teacher.”

The core pattern is therefore:

Role	Pattern	Example
Active	doer が + receiver を + active verb	先生が私を褒めた。
Passive	receiver は／が + agent に + passive verb	私は先生に褒められた。

Use は when the receiver is the topic already under discussion; use が when identifying or introducing the receiver, or when the surrounding grammar calls for が. Japanese often omits either participant when context makes it clear.

Forming godan passive verbs

For a godan verb, change the final kana from its u-row sound to the corresponding a-row sound and add れる. The exception within the pattern is final う, which changes to わ, not あ.

Dictionary ending	Passive ending	Example	Passive
う	われる	買う	買われる
く	かれる	書く	書かれる
ぐ	がれる	急ぐ	急がれる
す	される	話す	話される
つ	たれる	待つ	待たれる
ぬ	なれる	死ぬ	死なれる
ぶ	ばれる	選ぶ	選ばれる
む	まれる	読む	読まれる
る	られる	取る	取られる

A practical memory aid is to begin with the negative stem: 書かない → 書かれる, 読まない → 読まれる, 言わない → 言われる. Remove ない and attach れる.

Forming ichidan and irregular passive verbs

For an ichidan verb, remove final る and add られる. The two irregular verbs must be memorised.

Verb type	Dictionary form	Passive form	Polite form
Ichidan	食べる	食べられる	食べられます
Ichidan	見る	見られる	見られます
Irregular	する	される	されます
Irregular	来る（くる）	来られる（こられる）	来られます（こられます）

Passive forms themselves conjugate as ichidan verbs. Once you have 読まれる, remove its final る to make the other forms.

Meaning	Plain	Polite
is read / will be read	読まれる	読まれます
is not read	読まれない	読まれません
was read	読まれた	読まれました
was not read	読まれなかった	読まれませんでした
being read	読まれている	読まれています

Direct passive sentences

A direct passive is possible when the receiver corresponds directly to the object of the active sentence:

• 多くの人がこの本を読んでいます。 — “Many people read this book.”
• この本は多くの人に読まれています。 — “This book is read by many people.”

This pattern is neutral. It is useful when the receiver matters more than the doer, or when the doer is unknown or unimportant:

• 会議は延期されました。 — “The meeting was postponed.”
• この寺は八世紀に建てられました。 — “This temple was built in the eighth century.”

The agent can simply be omitted. Japanese does this frequently, just as English does in “The meeting was postponed.”

Keeping a body part or possession with を

When an action affects your body, belongings, or personal sphere, Japanese often makes you the topic and leaves the affected item marked by を:

• 私は電車で知らない人に足を踏まれました。
• Literally: “As for me, my foot was stepped on by a stranger on the train.”
• Natural English: “A stranger stepped on my foot on the train.”

Do not automatically turn 足 into the subject. The Japanese sentence foregrounds the affected person, not merely the foot. The same pattern occurs with 財布を盗まれる (“have one’s wallet stolen”) and 名前を間違えられる (“have one’s name mistaken”).

Particles for the agent

に is the ordinary agent marker, especially with people and with affected experiences:

• 私は部長に呼ばれました。 — “I was called by the department manager.”

によって is common in formal writing when naming a creator, inventor, discoverer, institution, or historical cause:

• この曲は有名な作曲家によって書かれました。 — “This piece was written by a famous composer.”

から can appear with verbs involving communication, transfer, or selection when the source is naturally understood as “from,” though に is often also possible:

• 私は会社から面接に呼ばれました。 — “I was invited by the company for an interview.”

Do not treat によって as a more sophisticated replacement for every に. It sounds heavy in an everyday sentence such as 私は先生によって褒められました; 先生に is natural there.

Examples in Context

Japanese	English	Note
私は先生に褒められました。	I was praised by the teacher.	Positive direct passive
弟は母に叱られました。	My younger brother was scolded by our mother.	Agent marked by に
この本は多くの人に読まれています。	This book is read by many people.	Ongoing general situation
会議は来週に延期されました。	The meeting was postponed until next week.	Agent omitted
この橋は百年前に建てられました。	This bridge was built a hundred years ago.	Focus on the bridge
その小説は世界中で翻訳されています。	That novel is being translated around the world.	Location marked by で
私は友達に誕生日会へ招待されました。	I was invited to a birthday party by a friend.	Welcome event
電車で知らない人に足を踏まれました。	A stranger stepped on my foot on the train.	Affected person is understood
駅で財布を盗まれました。	I had my wallet stolen at the station.	Possession remains with を
店員に名前を間違えられました。	The clerk got my name wrong.	Personal inconvenience
帰り道で雨に降られました。	I got caught in the rain on the way home.	Adversative passive
赤ちゃんに泣かれて、眠れませんでした。	The baby cried, and I could not sleep.	Speaker affected by another’s action
この作品は若い読者にも愛されています。	This work is loved by young readers too.	Neutral or positive passive
この方法は多くの学校で使われています。	This method is used in many schools.	Formal descriptive style

Common Mistakes

Using the dictionary form instead of the passive

• Wrong: 私は先生に褒めました。
• Right: 私は先生に褒められました。
• Why: 褒めました means “praised.” The subject 私 would therefore be the person doing the praising. Add the passive ending to show that 私 received the praise.

Marking the agent with が

• Wrong: 私は先生が褒められました。 (for “I was praised by the teacher.”)
• Right: 私は先生に褒められました。
• Why: In the basic passive pattern, the receiver is the topic or subject and the agent takes に. With 先生が, the grammatical relationships change and the intended meaning is no longer clear.

Applying the godan rule to an ichidan verb

• Wrong: 食べる → 食ばれる; 見る → 見られる by treating the final る as a godan ending
• Right: 食べる → 食べられる; 見る → 見られる
• Why: Ichidan verbs drop る and add られる. First identify the verb group; not every verb ending in る is ichidan, since 取る → 取られる is godan.

Changing う to あ

• Wrong: 言う → 言あれる
• Right: 言う → 言われる
• Why: Final う changes to わ before れる. The same rule gives 買われる and 笑われる.

Assuming every passive is unpleasant

• Wrong assumption: 私は先生に褒められました must imply annoyance.
• Better reading: “I was praised by the teacher.”
• Why: The passive can express adversity, but its emotional tone comes from the verb and context. 褒められる, 招待される, and 愛される are often positive.

Translating an English passive when Japanese prefers active wording

• Awkward: 私によってこのケーキは作られました。 for an ordinary “I made this cake.”
• Natural: 私がこのケーキを作りました。
• Why: A passive is not automatically more polite or natural. If the doer is the important new information in everyday conversation, an active Japanese sentence is often clearer.

Usage Notes

Japanese passive sentences often sound more impersonal than active ones. News reports, notices, and academic descriptions use them to focus on a decision, object, or result without spotlighting a particular person: 新しい制度が導入されました, “A new system was introduced.” This is not merely a translation of English bureaucratic style; it is a normal Japanese information-structure choice.

In conversation, the affected passive is especially productive. 財布を盗まれた does more than report that a wallet was stolen: it presents the theft as something that happened to the speaker. English often uses “had my wallet stolen,” “got caught in the rain,” or simply an active sentence to express the same experience.

The combination ～ている needs context. この本は読まれている may mean “this book is being read” in a particular situation or “this book is read” as an established fact. Japanese does not always make the English distinction between progressive action and continuing state in the same way.

Passive forms are not inherently polite. 読まれます is polite because of ます, not because it is passive. There is also an honorific use of れる／られる that respectfully describes someone’s action, but that is a different construction even though the form looks identical.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

The indirect passive

Japanese allows an indirect passive, where the subject is affected by an action even though it was not the direct object of that action. In 雨に降られた, rain did not literally “rain the speaker,” but the speaker was inconvenienced by the rain. Likewise, 赤ちゃんに泣かれた frames the baby’s crying as an event that affected the speaker.

This construction strongly favours animate affected subjects—usually people—and often suggests inconvenience, loss of control, or emotional impact. It deserves separate study because English usually cannot reproduce its structure directly. At this stage, learn to recognise common examples; the full range belongs with Indirect Passive.

Passive, potential, or honorific?

Ichidan passive and potential forms are identical in standard formation:

• 魚が食べられる。 — “I can eat fish.” (potential)
• 魚が猫に食べられた。 — “The fish was eaten by a cat.” (passive)

来られる can likewise mean “can come,” “is visited/approached” in a passive reading where appropriate, or “comes” as an honorific expression. Context and particles usually resolve the ambiguity. A に-marked agent strongly supports a passive reading; an ability context supports the potential.

In casual modern speech, some speakers use shortened ichidan potential forms such as 食べれる. This can help distinguish potential 食べれる from passive 食べられる in conversation, but the shortened potential is informal and should not replace the standard form in careful writing. There is no equivalent shortening of the passive.

によって and objective descriptions

Formal texts often use によって to name a notable agent:

• 『源氏物語』は紫式部によって書かれました。 — “The Tale of Genji was written by Murasaki Shikibu.”

This pattern works well when authorship, discovery, construction, or institutional responsibility is relevant. If the agent is unimportant, omit it. If the sentence is a personal experience, ordinary に is normally better.

Lexical expressions that look passive

Some common passive forms develop conventional meanings. For example, ～と言われている means “is said to...” or “is generally believed to...,” often without naming who says it:

• この町は千年前に作られたと言われています。 — “This town is said to have been founded a thousand years ago.”

Treat such expressions as useful extensions of the core passive rather than evidence that every れる／られる form carries the same nuance.

Practice Tips

1. Transform active sentences in pairs. Write 先生が学生を褒めた, then convert it to 学生は先生に褒められた. Say aloud which noun changes from を to は／が and which changes from が to に.
2. Sort verbs before conjugating. Make three columns—godan, ichidan, irregular—and practise five useful verbs in plain past and polite past passive. Include one final-う verb so that 言う → 言われる becomes automatic.
3. Collect real passive sentences by function. Label each example “focus on receiver,” “agent omitted,” “personal effect,” or “formal description.” This trains you to choose the passive for a reason rather than by mechanically copying English.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Potential Form — shares れる／られる forms, so learning the contrast prevents ambiguity.
• Next step: Indirect Passive — develops the pattern in which someone is indirectly affected by another event.