“Passive Form (ukemi)”: Be 〜ed [JLPT N4]
By Nihongo to Japan · Updated July 3, 2026
「猫に魚を食べられた」「先生に褒められた」 — forming the Japanese passive and its emotional uses.
“Passive Form (ukemi)”: Be 〜ed
The passive form (受身形) means “be 〜ed, be subjected to 〜.” Conjugation: godan (G1) = u-row→a-row ＋ れる (話す→話される, 叱る→叱られる, 読む→読まれる); ichidan (G2) = drop る ＋ られる (食べる→食べられる, 見る→見られる); する→される; 来る→来られる. E.g. 「先生に褒められた」 (I was praised by the teacher), 「猫に魚を食べられた」 (the fish was eaten by the cat). ⚠️ Two main uses: ① direct passive (the subject is directly affected by the action: 先生に叱られた = scolded by the teacher); ② indirect/adversative passive (the subject is indirectly affected, often troubled: 雨に降られた = caught in the rain, 子供に泣かれた = bothered by a crying child). ⚠️ The agent (doer) is marked with 「に」.
🧠 Core nuance: the subject is affected by the action (direct/adversative passive)
The core is the subject ‘being' affected by some action, the agent marked with に: ① direct passive — the subject is directly affected by the action (先生に褒められた = praised by the teacher, みんなに笑われた = laughed at by everyone, 名前を呼ばれた = had my name called), the agent (doer) marked with 「に」; ② indirect/adversative passive — the subject is indirectly affected, often troubled, victimized (雨に降られて濡れた = got soaked caught in the rain, 子供に泣かれて眠れない = can't sleep with the child crying, 隣の人にタバコを吸われた = bothered by the neighbor smoking), a uniquely Japanese way of expressing ‘being harmed by something.' ⚠️ Possession passive: 「猫に魚を食べられた」 (the fish was eaten by the cat — the subject is I, I suffer the loss): the subject is the affected person, the eaten thing takes を, the agent takes に. ⚠️ Conjugation rules: godan (u-row→a-row ＋ れる: 話される), ichidan (drop る ＋ られる: 食べられる), する→される, 来る→来られる. ⚠️ The ichidan passive is identical to the potential form (食べられる = be eaten/can eat), distinguished by context/particle (猫に食べられる = be eaten). An important N4 voice.
📌 Passive Conjugation
| Verb type | Dictionary form | Passive form |
|---|---|---|
| godan (G1) | 話す/叱る | 話される/叱られる |
| ichidan (G2) | 食べる/見る | 食べられる/見られる |
| する | する | される |
| 来る | 来る | 来られる |
| (agent) | 〜に〜られる | 先生に叱られた |
💬 Example Sentences
- 私は先生に名前を呼ばれた。(I had my name called by the teacher.) — direct passive
- 弟にケーキを食べられた。(The cake was eaten by my brother.) — possession passive (loss)
- 急に雨に降られて、服が濡れてしまった。(I got caught in sudden rain and my clothes got wet.) — adversative passive
- 夜中に子供に泣かれて、眠れなかった。(I couldn't sleep with the child crying in the night.) — adversative passive
- この小説は多くの人に読まれている。(This novel is read by many people.) — direct passive
🔄 Compare: passive vs causative vs causative-passive vs potential
| Expression | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 〜られる(passive) | be 〜ed | 先生に叱られた |
| 〜させる(causative) | make/force … do | 子供に食べさせる |
| 〜させられる(causative-passive) | be made to do | 食べさせられた |
| 〜られる(potential) | can 〜 (identical to ichidan passive) | 食べられる(can eat) |
⚠️ Common Mistakes
- Agent uses に: the passive's agent (doer) uses に (先生に叱られた, ✗ 先生が叱られた = the teacher got scolded).
- Adversative passive: the subject is indirectly affected, troubled (雨に降られた = caught in the rain, 子供に泣かれた).
- Passive vs potential same form: the ichidan 〜られる = be/can (食べられる), distinguished by particle/context.
- Possession passive: 猫に魚を食べられた (the fish was eaten by the cat, the subject is the suffering I).
💡 Nuance & When to Use
The passive form (受身形) means “be 〜ed, be subjected to 〜.” Conjugation: godan (u-row→a-row ＋ れる: 話される), ichidan (drop る ＋ られる: 食べられる), する→される, 来る→来られる. Two main uses: direct passive (the subject is directly affected: 先生に叱られた), indirect/adversative passive (the subject is indirectly affected, troubled: 雨に降られた). ⚠️ The agent uses に; the ichidan passive is identical to the potential, distinguished by context. An important N4 voice. A must.
🎯 JLPT Exam Tips
- N4 core: passive form = be 〜ed; godan (u-row→a-row ＋ れる), ichidan (drop る ＋ られる), する→される, 来る→来られる; agent uses に.
- Two main uses: direct passive (directly affected), adversative passive (indirectly affected, troubled: 雨に降られた).
- Distinction: the ichidan passive is identical to the potential (食べられる), by particle/context; possession passive (魚を食べられた).
🖊️ Practice Quiz
Q1. What is the passive form of 「話す」?
(A) 話される (B) 話せられる (C) 話された (D) 話して
Q2. What does 「先生に叱られた」 mean?
(A) the teacher was scolded by me
(B) I was scolded by the teacher (subject = I, agent = teacher)
(C) the teacher scolded someone else
(D) I scolded the teacher
Q3. What characterizes the ‘adversative passive' (迷惑受身)?
(A) neutral (no emotional color)
(B) the subject is affected, usually with a negative feeling (trouble/harm)
(C) the subject is the doer
(D) used only for praise
Q4. What is the structure of 「猫に魚を食べられた」?
(A) subject = cat, the cat ate the fish
(B) subject = I (speaker); the fish was eaten by the cat, and the speaker is troubled (indirect passive)
(C) the fish ate the cat
(D) the speaker ate the cat's fish
Q5. How do you tell whether 「食べられる」 is passive or potential?
(A) you can't tell
(B) by the particle and context: 「猫に〜」 → passive (by the cat); 「すしが〜」 → potential (can eat sushi)
(C) by the verb type
(D) by the subject
Answer Key
1. (A) 話される ── godan す→さ ＋ れる: 話される.
2. (B) ── I was scolded by the teacher (subject = I, agent marked by に).
3. (B) ── the adversative passive: the subject is affected, usually with a negative feeling.
4. (B) ── subject = the speaker; the fish was eaten by the cat and the speaker is troubled (indirect/adversative passive).
5. (B) ── by the particle and context: 「猫に〜」 → passive; 「すしが〜」 → potential.