N4Chapter 32

Causative-Passive (させられる)

Learning objectives

  • Understand the concept of the combined causative-passive form.
  • Conjugate Group 1, Group 2, and Irregular verbs into this form.
  • Learn the common 'shorthand' conjugation for Group 1 verbs (〜される).
  • Use the causative-passive to complain about being forced to do an action.
N4 context

You have learned the Passive (〜れる/られる: an action is done to you) and the Causative (〜せる/させる: making/letting someone do an action). Now, we combine them! The Causative-Passive (〜させられる) literally means “I was made/forced to do an action by someone.” It heavily implies reluctance or complaining. This is the ultimate “I didn’t want to do it, but I had to” form!

Anime pixel-art illustration of a reluctant student guided by glowing causative-passive arrows and gears toward writing, cleaning, and running tasks.

1. The Concept and Particles

In a causative-passive sentence:

  1. The subject (は/が) is the person who was forced to do the action (usually the speaker).
  2. The doer (に) is the person who forced the action to happen.
  3. The sentiment is almost always negative (reluctance, annoyance, or obligation).

私は母に野菜を食べさせられました。

watashi wa haha ni yasai o tabesaseraremashita.

I was forced to eat vegetables by my mother. (I didn't want to!)

子供の時、父に毎日勉強させられました。

kodomo no toki, chichi ni mainichi benkyou saseraremashita.

When I was a child, I was forced by my father to study every day.

学生は先生に教室を掃除させられました。

gakusei wa sensei ni kyoushitsu o souji saseraremashita.

The students were made to clean the classroom by the teacher.

Compare this to the standard causative:

  • 母は私に野菜を食べさせた。 (Mom made me eat veggies - Focus on Mom’s action).
  • 私は母に野菜を食べさせられた。 (I was forced to eat veggies by Mom - Focus on my suffering).

2. Conjugation

The conjugation is exactly what it sounds like: change the verb to the causative (〜せる), drop the る, and add the passive ending (〜られる).

Group 2 (Ru-Verbs)

Drop the る and add させられる (saserareru).

  • 食べる (taberu) ➔ 食べさせられる (tabesaserareru - forced to eat)
  • 見る (miru) ➔ 見させられる (misaserareru - forced to watch)

Group 3 (Irregular)

  • 来る (kuru) ➔ 来させられる (kosaserareru - forced to come)
  • する (suru) ➔ させられる (saserareru - forced to do)
Grammar文法
[Cast Member] は [Director] に 〜させられる

means I was forced to do [verb] by [someone].

Formation

Verb-saserareru

Examples

私は先生に長い作文を書かせられました。

watashi wa sensei ni nagai sakubun o kakaseraremashita.

I was forced by the teacher to write a long essay.

彼は休みの日に会社へ来させられました。

kare wa yasumi no hi ni kaisha e kosaseraremashita.

He was forced to come to the company on his day off.

弟は母に買い物をさせられました。

otouto wa haha ni kaimono o saseraremashita.

My younger brother was made to go shopping by my mother.

3. The Group 1 Shortcut (〜される)

For Group 1 verbs, changing from U ➔ A + せる + られる gets very long and tongue-twisting. For example: 書く ➔ 書かせられる (kakaserareru).

Because this is a mouthful, most Group 1 verbs use a shortcut form. Shortcut Rule: Change the final 〜u sound to the 〜a sound, and add される (sareru).

  • 書く (kaku) ➔ 書かされる (kakasareru - forced to write)
  • 飲む (nomu) ➔ 飲まされる (nomasareru - forced to drink)
  • 待つ (matsu) ➔ 待たされる (matasareru - forced to wait)
  • 帰る (kaeru) ➔ 帰らされる (kaerasareru - forced to go home)

[!WARNING] You cannot use the shortcut if the Group 1 verb ends in 〜す (su), like 話す (hanasu). Why? Because changing it would make 話さされる (hanasasareru), which sounds terrible with the double “sa”. For verbs ending in す, you must use the full form: 話させられる.

Grammar文法
[Group 1 Verb-a] + される

means Short form for Group 1 Causative-Passive.

Formation

Change U-row to A-row + される

Examples

友達に一時間も待たされました。

tomodachi ni ichi-jikan mo matasaremashita.

I was made to wait for an hour by my friend.

先輩にお酒を飲まされました。

senpai ni osake o nomasaremashita.

I was forced to drink alcohol by my senior.

上司に歌を歌わされました。

joushi ni uta o utawasaremashita.

I was made to sing a song by my boss.

4. Cultural Insight: Workplace Hierarchy and the Causative-Passive

In the Japanese workplace, the causative-passive form is a common way to express the realities of hierarchical relationships (senpai-kouhai or joushi-buka).

  • Social Obligation: Many tasks that aren’t strictly part of a job description—such as staying late, attending drinking parties (nomikai), or performing at company events—are often described using the causative-passive. This reflects the pressure to comply with group harmony (wa) even when reluctant.
  • Venting and Empathy: Using this form among colleagues often serves as a way to vent frustration while seeking empathy. If a coworker says 残業させられた (I was made to work overtime), it acknowledges that the situation was out of their control, making it easier for others to offer sympathy.

However, be careful! Using this form when talking to your superior about something they made you do would be highly inappropriate, as it explicitly highlights your reluctance and annoyance.

Contextual Dialogues

Let’s see Tanaka and Suzuki complaining about their work tasks.

Complaining About Work (仕事の愚痴)会話
Suzuki

田中さん、もう帰るんですか。お疲れ様です。

Tanaka-san, mou kaeru n desu ka. Otsukaresama desu.

Tanaka-san, are you going home now? Good work today.

Tanaka

お疲れ様。実は今日、一日中立たされて仕事をしたんです。足が疲れました。

Otsukaresama. Jitsu wa kyou, ichinichijuu tatasarete shigoto o shita n desu. Ashi ga tsukaremashita.

Good work. Actually, today I was made to stand and work all day. My legs are tired.

Suzuki

えっ？立たされたんですか。課長に？

E? Tatasareta n desu ka. Kachou ni?

Eh? Forced to stand? By the section manager?

Tanaka

はい。倉庫の椅子が足りないと言われて……。

Hai. Souko no isu ga tarinai to iwarete......

Yes. They told me there were not enough chairs in the storage room.

Suzuki

それはひどいですね。私は今、英語のメールを書かされています。帰りたいです。

Sore wa hidoi desu ne. Watashi wa ima, eigo no meeru o kakasarete imasu. Kaeritai desu.

That is terrible. As for me, I am being forced to write English emails now. I want to go home.

Tanaka

鈴木さんも大変ですね。頑張ってください！

Suzuki-san mo taihen desu ne. Ganbatte kudasai!

You are having a tough time too. Do your best!
After School (放課後)会話
Hiro

ねえ、どうしてそんなに遅かったの？

Nee, doushite sonna ni osokatta no?

Hey, why are you so late?

Yumi

先生に放課後残らされて、体育館を掃除させられたの。

Sensei ni houkago nokorasarete, taiikukan o souji saserareta no.

I was made to stay after school by the teacher to clean the gym.

Hiro

それは大変だったね。僕も数学の宿題をやり直させられたよ。

Sore wa taihen datta ne. Boku mo suugaku no shukudai o yarinaosaserareta yo.

That's rough. I was also made to redo my math homework.

Yumi

お互いに大変な日だったね。アイスでも食べに行こう。

Otagai ni taihen na hi datta ne. Aisu demo tabe ni ikou.

It seems we both had a bad day. Let's go get some ice cream.

Hiro

いいよ！君を待たされたんだから、君のおごりね！

Ii yo! Kimi o matasareta n da kara, kimi no ogori ne!

Sounds good! I was made to wait for you, so you're buying!

Chapter Summary

Key takeawaysまとめ
  • 1The causative-passive means 'was forced to do' and carries a nuance of reluctance or suffering.
  • 2The person forced to act is the subject (私は). The person who forced them is marked with に.
  • 3Conjugation is Verb-Causative + られる (e.g., 食べさせられる).
  • 4Group 1 verbs usually use the shorter Verb-a + される form (飲む ➔ 飲まされる).
  • 5Verbs ending in 'す' (su) must rely on the long form (話す ➔ 話させられる).

Knowledge Check

Test your understanding of the Causative-Passive form!

Practice quiz
1 / 15

What is the primary function of the causative-passive form?

Applied review

Use what you learned

Focus: Causative-passive. Try the task before revealing the model.

Guided practice練習

Produce the Japanese sentence, then compare it with the model answer.

  1. 1.Say “I was made to work overtime.”

Reading practice読解

Causative-passive in context

N4 mini-reading

Target: 2 minutes
学生のころ、先生に毎日漢字を書かされました。そのおかげで、今は読むのが得意です。
  1. How does the speaker evaluate the past practice now?