Common Japanese Mistake: Causative and Passive Form Confusion

2026年4月23日2026年4月27日

TOC

Why Causative and Passive Are Confusing

The causative (〜させる) and passive (〜られる) are two advanced verb forms that get mixed up by learners because: (1) they both add endings to the verb stem, (2) passive and potential look identical for Group 2 verbs, and (3) Japanese causative-passive is a single combined form that doesn’t exist cleanly in English.

Passive Form (〜られる): “Is Done To”

Group	Formation	Example
Group 1	あ-row + れる	よむ→よまれる (is read), かく→かかれる (is written)
Group 2	Drop る → られる	たべる→たべられる (is eaten)
する	される
くる	こられる

Use: 「あめにふられました。」— I was rained on (adversative passive — the subject suffers from the action).

Causative Form (〜させる): “Make/Let Someone Do”

Group	Formation	Example
Group 1	あ-row + せる	よむ→よませる (make read), のむ→のませる (make drink)
Group 2	Drop る → させる	たべる→たべさせる (make eat)
する	させる
くる	こさせる

Two meanings: make (forced) or let (permitted) — context determines which.

Causative-Passive: “Was Made to Do”

Combine both: causative stem + passive = 〜させられる. Used when the subject was forced to do something against their will:

「しゃちょうにさんじかんまたせられました。」— I was made to wait 3 hours by the boss.
「むりやりたべさせられた。」— I was forced to eat (against my will).

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Example	Fix
Confusing passive and potential for ru-verbs	たべられる = passive OR potential	Context tells you: 「さかながたべられる」= can eat fish (potential); 「さかなにたべられた」= was eaten by fish (passive)
Wrong particle with causative	こどもがやさいをたべさせました	こどもにやさいをたべさせました — the person made to act takes に

Quick Drill

Passive of かく (to write)?
Causative of のむ (to drink)?
Causative-passive of まつ (to wait)?

Answers: 1. かかれる / 2. のませる / 3. またせられる

Yuka Gets Lost in Causative-Passive

Mistakes feel embarrassing in the moment but they are the fastest way to learn. Watch how Yuka makes a natural error — and how Rei explains the rule clearly enough to prevent it from happening again.

Yuka

Rei, I understand 〜させる (make someone do) and 〜される (be done to), but 〜させられる is completely breaking my brain.

Rei

〜させられる combines causative + passive: ‘to be made to do something.’ You were forced — you didn’t choose it. Classic example: やさいをたべさせられた — I was made to eat vegetables (by my mum, against my will).

Yuka

Can you show me the full chain with one verb?

Rei

Let’s use 書く: 書く (write) → 書かせる (make write) → 書かせられる (be made to write). So: 先生に長い作文を書かせられました — The teacher made me write a long essay. You can feel the suffering in that sentence!

Yuka

Is this form actually used in daily conversation?

Rei

Yes — in complaints! さんじかんもまたされました — I was made to wait three whole hours. むりやりのまされました — I was forced to drink. It’s the grammar of victimhood — and native speakers love using it dramatically with friends.

5 Correct Sentences — Read These Aloud

Each sentence demonstrates the correct usage from this article. Say them aloud to lock in the right pattern.

こどものころ、まいにちピアノをれんしゅうさせられました。
As a child, I was made to practice piano every day.
ぶちょうにざんぎょうさせられました。
I was made to work overtime by my boss.
きらいなものをたべさせられるのはつらいです。
Being made to eat things you dislike is tough.
むすこにサッカーをならわせています。
I’m having my son learn soccer. (causative, making him)
かいぎのじゅんびをてつだわせていただけますか？
May I be allowed to help with meeting preparations? (humble causative)

Your Turn! Correct the Mistake in the Comments

Here is a sentence with the error from this article. Can you fix it? Write the corrected version — and your own correct sentence — in the comments below.

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