JLPT N4
受身形 (passive)
Passive voice
Structure
Verb passive form
How it works
The passive voice (受身形) is used to describe an action from the perspective of the person receiving the action. In Japanese, it is frequently used to express a sense of being bothered or affected by someone else’s actions, especially in the 'adversative passive' form. For Group 1 verbs, change the final 'u' sound to 'a' and add 'reru'; for Group 2, replace 'ru' with 'rareru'; and for Group 3, 'kuru' becomes 'korareru' and 'suru' becomes 'sareru'.
Examples
私は先生にほめられました。
I was praised by the teacher.
弟にケーキを食べられました。
My cake was eaten by my younger brother.
この本は多くの人に読まれています。
This book is being read by many people.
Common mistakes
Confusing the passive form with the potential form for Group 2 verbs (both use 'rareru'). Context is the only way to tell if 'taberareru' means 'can eat' or 'be eaten'.
Tip
In Japanese passive sentences, the person who performs the action is usually marked with the particle 'ni' (に) rather than 'ga' or 'wa'.
More JLPT N4 grammar
See 受身形 (passive) in real Japanese
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