What is the difference between direct passive and adversarial passive in Japanese?

Direct passive (直接受け身) is equivalent to English passive voice: the subject receives an action directly. Example: 私は先生に褒められた (I was praised by the teacher). Adversarial passive (迷惑の受け身, also called indirect passive) has no English equivalent — it describes the subject being negatively affected by something that happens. Example: 私は雨に降られた (I got caught in the rain — the rain fell and I was affected). The adversarial pattern adds an extra object: 彼女は妹にケーキを食べられた (Her cake was eaten by her sister, to her dismay). The subject did not receive the action directly but was inconvenienced by it.

What particle marks the agent in a Japanese passive sentence?

The agent — the person or thing that performed the action — is marked with に in most passive sentences. Example: 先生に褒められた (was praised by the teacher). When the agent is abstract, a natural phenomenon, or emphasized in formal or academic writing, によって is used instead: 嵐によって木が倒された (the tree was knocked down by the storm); ニュートンによって発見された (discovered by Newton). に is used for personal, direct agents; によって for formal, abstract, or large-scale agents.

Can the Japanese adversarial passive be positive?

Yes, although adversarial passive is often described as expressing negative feelings, it can also describe positive situations. The key is that the subject is affected by the action of another. 人々に愛された (was loved by the people) is passive and describes a positive outcome experienced by the subject. 多くの人に読まれた (was read by many people) describes broad readership — neutral to positive. The 'adversarial' label is a pedagogical shortcut; the true meaning is simply that the subject is affected by an action they did not control.

How do you convert an active sentence to passive in Japanese?

To convert active to passive: (1) The active object becomes the passive subject, marked with は or が. (2) The active subject becomes the passive agent, marked with に. (3) The verb changes to passive form. Example: 先生が学生を褒めた (active: the teacher praised the student) → 学生は先生に褒められた (passive: the student was praised by the teacher). For intransitive verbs and adversarial passives, the structure is slightly different — the subject is the affected party, not the receiver of the verb's direct action.

Japanese Passive Form (受け身): れる・られる Complete Guide

Q: How is passive voice used in formal Japanese writing?

Passive constructions appear heavily in news articles, academic papers, official announcements, and instructions because they shift focus from the actor to the event or result. Common patterns include: 〜と発表された (it was announced that), 〜と報告された (it was reported that), 〜と考えられる (it is thought that), 〜と言われている (it is said that). These patterns allow writers to present information without attributing it to a specific person, which is a common stylistic preference in formal Japanese.

The Japanese passive form (受け身、うけみ) is formed with れる (Group 1 verbs) or られる (Group 2 verbs). Japanese has two passive types: direct passive (直接受け身), which parallels English passive voice, and adversarial passive (迷惑の受け身), which expresses that the subject was negatively affected by someone else's action. The agent is marked with に (personal agents) or によって (formal or abstract agents). Passive voice is ubiquitous in formal Japanese writing and news.

Covers: G1/G2/G3 conjugation · Direct vs adversarial passive · Particle guide (に・を・によって) · Active→passive conversion · Passive in formal writing · 5 common mistakes

Written by YoruLearn Team · Last reviewed: June 2026

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Conjugation Table — All Verb Groups

Rule summary: G1 verbs shift to the あ-row + れる. G2 verbs drop る and add られる. G3 verbs are irregular.

Group 1 (Godan) — あ-row + れる

Dictionary	Passive	Meaning
書く	書かれる	is written / be written
飲む	飲まれる	is drunk / be drunk
話す	話される	is spoken / be spoken
読む	読まれる	is read / be read
呼ぶ	呼ばれる	is called / be called
押す	押される	is pushed / be pushed
打つ	打たれる	is struck / be struck
笑う	笑われる	is laughed at / be laughed at
盗む	盗まれる	is stolen / be stolen

Group 2 (Ichidan) — drop る + られる

Dictionary	Passive	Meaning
食べる	食べられる	is eaten / be eaten
見る	見られる	is seen / be seen
褒める	褒められる	is praised / be praised
叱る (G1)	叱られる	is scolded / be scolded

Group 3 (Irregular)

Dictionary	Passive	Meaning
する	される	is done / be done
くる	こられる	is come (to) / be come (to)

Two Types of Japanese Passive

Japanese passive divides into two structurally and semantically distinct types. Understanding both is essential for JLPT N4 grammar questions.

Type	Pattern	Example	English
Direct passive (直接受け身)	[subject]は[agent]に[verb-passive]	私は先生に褒められた	I was praised by the teacher
Adversarial passive (迷惑の受け身)	[subject]は[agent]に[object]を[verb-passive]	彼女は妹にケーキを食べられた	Her cake was eaten by her sister (to her dismay)
Adversarial passive (intransitive verb)	[subject]は[agent/event]に[verb-passive]	私は雨に降られた	I got caught in the rain (the rain fell on me)

In the adversarial pattern, the subject (彼女, 私) did not perform or receive the verb's action — they were simply affected by it. This pattern has no direct English equivalent and is one of the more conceptually challenging N4 grammar points.

Particle Guide for Passive Sentences

Getting particles right in passive sentences is a frequent exam focus. The roles of は/が, に, を, and によって each correspond to a specific grammatical role.

Particle	Role	Example	Note
は / が	Subject — the one who receives or is affected by the action	学生は先生に褒められた	Marks the passive subject
に	Agent — who performed the action	先生に褒められた	Personal, direct agents
を	Direct object in adversarial passive	ケーキを食べられた	The thing that was acted upon
によって	Formal agent — abstract, natural, or large-scale	嵐によって木が倒された	Used in writing/news; not for people

Active → Passive Conversion (10 Examples)

Converting active sentences to passive requires repositioning subject and object and changing the verb to its passive form. Study these patterns to internalize the transformation.

Active	Passive	English (passive)
先生が学生を褒めた	学生は先生に褒められた	The student was praised by the teacher
泥棒が財布を盗んだ	財布が泥棒に盗まれた	The wallet was stolen by a thief
雨が私を濡らした	私は雨に濡らされた	I was soaked by the rain
みんなが彼を笑った	彼はみんなに笑われた	He was laughed at by everyone
親が子供を叱った	子供は親に叱られた	The child was scolded by a parent
友達が私の秘密を話した	私は友達に秘密を話された	My secret was told by a friend (adversarial)
弟が私のケーキを食べた	私は弟にケーキを食べられた	My cake was eaten by my brother (adversarial)
嵐が木を倒した	木が嵐によって倒された	The tree was knocked down by the storm
警察が犯人を捕まえた	犯人は警察に捕まえられた	The criminal was caught by the police
多くの人がその本を読んだ	その本は多くの人に読まれた	The book was read by many people

Passive in Formal Written Japanese

Passive constructions are fundamental to formal Japanese — news articles, academic writing, announcements, and official documents rely on them to present information without attributing it to a specific person.

Passive pattern	Meaning	Typical context
〜と発表された	it was announced that	News, press releases
〜と報告された	it was reported that	News, academic reports
〜と考えられる	it is thought that	Academic writing
〜と言われている	it is said that	General formal use
〜によって発見された	was discovered by	Science, history
〜として知られている	is known as	Encyclopedic writing

5 Common Mistakes with the Passive Form

Using に for the object in direct passive. In a direct passive sentence, に marks the agent (who did the action), not the object. In adversarial passive, the object of the original action takes を. Saying 私は先生にケーキに食べられた is wrong — the cake takes を: 私は妹にケーキを食べられた.
Forgetting the あ-row change for G1 verbs. The most common error: 飲む→飲まれる, not 飲みれる. The passive uses the あ-row (ま), not the い-row (み). Double-check: 話す→話される、読む→読まれる、待つ→待たれる.
Confusing potential and passive for Group 2 verbs. 食べられる is both "can eat" (potential) and "is eaten" (passive). Look for a に-marked agent to identify passive. 虫に食べられた = passive (agent: insects). 辛いものが食べられない = potential (no agent, が-marked object).
Assuming adversarial passive is always negative. 迷惑の受け身 is often taught as expressing inconvenience, but it simply means the subject is affected by another's action. 人々に愛された (was loved by the people) is passive and positive. 多くの人に読まれた (was read by many people) is neutral to positive.
Using によって for personal agents. によって is reserved for formal, abstract, or large-scale agents — storms, discoveries, organizations, historical figures in historical contexts. For everyday personal agents, use に: 先生に褒められた (not 先生によって褒められた).

FAQ

How do you form the Japanese passive for Group 1 verbs?

For Group 1 (godan) verbs, change the final う-row sound to the あ-row sound and add れる. Examples: 書く→書かれる (is written); 飲む→飲まれる (is drunk); 話す→話される (is spoken); 待つ→待たれる; 笑う→笑われる (is laughed at). The shift: く→か、む→ま、す→さ、つ→た、ぬ→な、ぶ→ば、ぐ→が、う→わ、る→ら. Note that う verbs shift to わ, not あ.

What is the difference between direct and adversarial passive?

Direct passive (直接受け身) parallels English passive: the subject directly receives an action. Example: 私は先生に褒められた (I was praised by the teacher). Adversarial passive (迷惑の受け身) has no English equivalent — the subject is affected by something that happens, often to their detriment. Example: 私は雨に降られた (I got caught in the rain). The adversarial pattern can add an extra object: 彼女は妹にケーキを食べられた (Her cake was eaten by her sister, to her dismay).

What particle marks the agent in a passive sentence?

The agent — who performed the action — is marked with に in most passive sentences: 先生に褒められた (praised by the teacher). When the agent is abstract, a natural phenomenon, or used in formal or academic writing, によって is used instead: 嵐によって木が倒された (the tree was knocked down by the storm). Use に for personal, direct agents; use によって for formal, abstract, or large-scale agents.

Can the adversarial passive express positive feelings?

Yes. Although 迷惑の受け身 is often taught as conveying negative feelings (inconvenience or annoyance), it simply means the subject is affected by another's action. 人々に愛された (was loved by the people) is a passive sentence with a clearly positive tone. 多くの人に読まれた (was read by many people) is neutral to positive. The "adversarial" label is a pedagogical simplification — context determines emotional tone.

How is passive voice used in formal Japanese writing?

Passive constructions are ubiquitous in news, academic writing, and official documents. They allow writers to present information without attributing it to a specific person. Key patterns: 〜と発表された (it was announced that), 〜と報告された (it was reported that), 〜と考えられる (it is thought that), 〜と言われている (it is said that). These are essential for reading N4 and above passage texts.

How do you convert an active sentence to passive?

Three steps: (1) The active object becomes the passive subject, marked with は or が. (2) The active subject becomes the agent, marked with に. (3) The verb changes to passive form. Example: 先生が学生を褒めた → 学生は先生に褒められた. For adversarial passive with intransitive verbs (雨が降る), the affected person becomes the subject and the event or agent is marked with に: 私は雨に降られた.

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