～られる／～れる

The passive form (受け身, うけみ) expresses that the subject receives or is affected by an action performed by someone or something else. Japanese has three distinct uses of the passive.

1. Direct passive (直接受け身)

The subject directly receives the action. The agent (the one doing the action) is marked with に.

Structure: Subject は／が + Agent に + Passive verb

Note: In Japanese, passive sentences often describe something that happened to the subject. The subject is usually the one who is most affected.

2. Adversative passive (迷惑の受け身)

The passive is also used when an action by someone else negatively affects the subject – even when the subject is not the direct object of the action. This is sometimes called the "suffering passive" because it conveys inconvenience or annoyance.

In these sentences, the subject suffers an inconvenience from the action, even if the action was not directed at them.

3. Honorific passive (尊敬の受け身)

The passive form is also used as a formal or polite honorific expression, often in business settings or when referring to superiors.

This usage does not carry the meaning of "receiving an action" – it simply elevates the politeness of speech.

Agent marking

• に marks the direct agent (person doing the action):

  せんせい先生にしかられた叱られた。

  I was scolded by the teacher.

• によって is used for indirect causes or non-human agents (laws, events, discoveries):

  このはし橋はえんじにあエンジニアによってせっけい設計されました。

  This bridge was designed by engineers.

Note on ambiguity (ru-verbs)

For ru-verbs, the passive form is identical to the potential form.