Passive Form — Basic Introduction

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to recognize and form the basic passive voice (られる) for Group 2 (ichidan) verbs and understand how to use it in simple Japanese sentences.

The passive form in Japanese is used to say that something is done to someone or something. It shifts the focus from the person doing the action to the person receiving the action.

• Active: 先生が学生をほめた (Sensei ga gakusei o hometa) — The teacher praised the student.先生学
• Passive: 学生が先生にほめられた (Gakusei ga sensei ni homerareta) — The student was praised by the teacher.学生先

How to Form the Passive (Group 2 / Ichidan Verbs)

For Group 2 verbs (also called ichidan or ru-verbs), the passive form is very simple:

Formula: Remove the final る (ru) + られる (rareru)

How to Conjugate the Passive Form

The passive form conjugates like a Group 2 verb itself. Here is the present/future tense:

Sentence Structure for Passive

The basic structure changes from active to passive:

• Active: Subject が Object を Verb (plain)
• Passive: Receiver が Doer に Verb (passive)

The doer (the person doing the action) is marked with に (ni) instead of が (ga).

1. Active: 母が朝ごはんを作った。母朝作

   • Haha ga asagohan o tsukutta.
   • Mom made breakfast.

   Passive: 朝ごはんが母に作られた。朝母作

   • Asagohan ga haha ni tsukurareta.
   • Breakfast was made by mom.
   母朝作

2. Active: 友達が私を呼んだ。友達私呼

   • Tomodachi ga watashi o yonda.
   • My friend called me.

   Passive: 私は友達に呼ばれた。私友達呼

   • Watashi wa tomodachi ni yobareta.
   • I was called by my friend.
   友達私呼

3. Active: 先生が学生をほめた。先生学

   • Sensei ga gakusei o hometa.
   • The teacher praised the student.

   Passive: 学生が先生にほめられた。学生先

   • Gakusei ga sensei ni homerareta.
   • The student was praised by the teacher.
   先生学

4. Active: 猫が魚を食べた。猫魚食

   • Neko ga sakana o tabeta.
   • The cat ate the fish.

   Passive: 魚が猫に食べられた。魚猫食

   • Sakana ga neko ni taberareta.
   • The fish was eaten by the cat.
   猫魚食

❌ Mistake: Using を (o) instead of が (ga) for the receiver.

• 私を先生にほめられた (Watashi o sensei ni homerareta) — Wrong私先生

✅ Correct: 私が先生にほめられた (Watashi ga sensei ni homerareta) — I was praised by the teacher.私先生

❌ Mistake: Forgetting to change the verb ending for Group 2 verbs.

• 食べる → 食べるられる (taberurareru) — Wrong食

✅ Correct: 食べる → 食べられる (taberareru) — Remove る first, then add られる.食

Fill in the blanks with the correct passive form.

1. 毎朝、６時に（起きる）__________。毎朝時起

   • Maiasa, 6-ji ni (okiru) __________.
   • Every morning, I am woken up at 6 o'clock.
   • Answer: 起きられる (okirareru)起
   毎朝時起

2. この映画はたくさんの人に（見る）__________。映画人見

   • Kono eiga wa takusan no hito ni (miru) __________.
   • This movie is seen by many people.
   • Answer: 見られる (mirareru)見
   映画人見

Try it yourself:

3. 私は母に（教える）__________。私母教

   • Watashi wa haha ni (oshieru) __________.
   • I am taught by my mother.
   • Answer: 教えられる (oshierareru)教
   私母教

4. そのケーキは妹に（食べる）__________。妹食

   • Sono keeki wa imouto ni (taberu) __________.
   • That cake was eaten by my little sister.
   • Answer: 食べられた (taberareta)食
   妹食

You now know how to:

• Recognize the passive form (られる) for Group 2 verbs
• Form the passive by removing る and adding られる
• Change sentence structure from active to passive using が and に

Next step: Practice using the passive form with Group 1 (godan) verbs, which have a different pattern. You will also learn how to use the passive in more complex sentences and with different tenses. Keep practicing with simple sentences first!