Japanese Passive Form: 受身形 (Ukemikei)

By /
Japanese Passive Form: 受身形 (Ukemikei)
Meaning & Usage

✨ Basic Meaning

The passive form is used to describe an action from the perspective of the person or object receiving the action.

🎯 Primary Function

To express that someone or something is affected by an action performed by another agent.

📋 Grammar Structure

Group 1: Verb stem (a-column) + れる; Group 2: Verb stem + られる; Group 3: する→される, くる→こられる
Not applicable (Passive form applies only to verbs).
Not applicable (Passive form applies only to verbs).
Passive Verb Stem + ない / ませんでした

🎭 Usage Contexts

🏢 Formal Situations

Used in formal reports or speeches to sound objective or polite.

😊 Informal Situations

Commonly used to express annoyance (suffering passive) or to talk about things happening to the speaker.

✍️ Written Language

Common in newspapers and textbooks to describe events without focusing on a specific person.

🗣️ Spoken Language

Frequent in daily conversations when the speaker is the recipient of an action.

💡 Common Applications

The “Suffering” Passive (Meiwaku no Ukemi)
Used when an action causes the speaker trouble, annoyance, or a negative impact.
Example: Ame ni furareta (I was rained on).
Direct Passive
A direct action performed on the speaker or a subject.
Example: Sensei ni homerareta (I was praised by the teacher).
Passive for Public Facts
Used when describing historical facts, news, or general situations where the agent is not specific.
Example: Sekaijuu de yomarete iru (It is read throughout the world).
📊
Frequency
High
🎚️
Difficulty
N4
Tag:

Related Kanji

JLPT N4 Kanji List

Related Vocabulary

JLPT N4 Vocabulary List
Example Sentences
Example #1
私は母に叱られました。
Furigana: わたしはははにしかられました。
Romaji: Watashi wa haha ni shikararemashita.
English: I was scolded by my mother.
Example #2
弟にケーキを食べられました。
Furigana: おとうとにケーキをたべられました。
Romaji: Otouto ni keeki o taberaremashita.
English: My younger brother ate my cake (and I’m upset about it).
Example #3
泥棒に財布を盗まれました。
Furigana: どろぼうにさいふをぬすまれました。
Romaji: Dorobou ni saifu o nusumaremashita.
English: My wallet was stolen by a thief.
Example #4
この家は20年前に建てられました。
Furigana: このいえはにじゅうねんまえにたてられました。
Romaji: Kono ie wa nijuunen mae ni tateraremashita.
English: This house was built 20 years ago.
Example #5
先生に名前を呼ばれました。
Furigana: せんせいになまえをよばれました。
Romaji: Sensei ni namae o yobaremashita.
English: My name was called by the teacher.
Example #6
雨に降られて、服が濡れました。
Furigana: あめにふられて、ふくがぬれました。
Romaji: Ame ni furarete, fuku ga nuremashita.
English: It rained on me, and my clothes got wet.
Example #7
誰かに足を踏まれました。
Furigana: だれかにあしをふまれました。
Romaji: Dareka ni ashi o fumaremashita.
English: Someone stepped on my foot.
Example #8
友達にパーティーに招待されました。
Furigana: ともだちにパーティーにしょうたいされました。
Romaji: Tomodachi ni paatii ni shoutai saremashita.
English: I was invited to a party by my friend.
Example #9
この本は世界中で読まれています。
Furigana: このほんはせかいじゅうでよまれています。
Romaji: Kono hon wa sekaijuu de yomarete imasu.
English: This book is being read all over the world.
Example #10
私は部長に褒められました。
Furigana: わたしはぶちょうにほめられました。
Romaji: Watashi wa buchou ni homeraremashita.
English: I was praised by the manager.
Notes & Nuances

📌 Important Points

The particle ‘ni’ marks the agent.
In passive sentences, the person who performs the action (the agent) is marked with the particle ‘ni’.
Example: Haha ni shikarareta.
Agent-less passive for objects.
The passive form is used when the performer of the action is unknown or unimportant.
Example: Kono tatemono wa tateraremashita.

⚠️ Common Mistakes

❌ Watashi wa otoute ni keeki ga taberaremashita.
✅ Otoute ni keeki o taberaremashita.
When using the passive form to describe someone doing something to your possessions, the object (cake) still takes the particle ‘o’.

🏛️ Cultural Context

Politeness Level: The passive form is often used in honorific speech (Sonkeigo) to show respect to the subject.
Social Situations: Used to avoid direct blame or to focus on the person affected rather than the one who did the action.
Regional Variations: Standard throughout Japan.

🔍 Subtle Differences

Passive vs. Active
The active focuses on the doer; the passive focuses on the receiver and their feelings.
When to use: Use passive when you want to emphasize the person affected by the action.

📝 Conjugation Notes

For Group 2 verbs, the passive form (rareru) is identical to the potential form. Context is required to distinguish meaning.

🔊 Pronunciation Tips

Be careful not to confuse ‘rareru’ (passive/potential) with ‘reru’ (Group 1 passive). Focus on the ‘ra’ sound.

🧠 Memory Tips

Think of Group 1 passive as ‘A-column + reru’. Group 2 is simply ‘rareru’. Irregular ‘suru’ becomes ‘sare-ru’.

Other Grammar

Related Posts

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top