Causative-Passive
Causative-passive (使役受身 - shieki ukemi) combines causative and passive to express being made to do something. This form emphasizes the speaker as victim of someone else's force or authority.
Formation: Causative + Passive
食べさせる (causative) + られる (passive)
= 食べさせられる "be made to eat"
Victim perspective
Being forced
Against will
Formation
Two-step process
Step 1: Make causative
食べる → 食べさせる
Step 2: Make passive of causative
食べさせる → 食べさせられる
読む → 読ませる → 読ませられる
行く → 行かせる → 行かせられる
する → させる → させられる
Causative first
Then passive
Short Form (Colloquial)
For う-verbs only
Standard: 読ませられる
Short: 読まされる
Standard: 行かせられる
Short: 行かされる
Standard: 書かせられる
Short: 書かされる
Drop せ from させられる
Common in speech
More natural sounding
Only for う-verbs
る-Verbs (No Short Form)
Keep full form
食べさせられる
(No short form)
見させられる
(No short form)
起きさせられる
(No short form)
Cannot shorten
Must use full form
Remember distinction
Core Meaning
Being forced
宿題をさせられた
"Was made to do homework"
Implies: Against will
Forced by authority
No choice
残業させられた
"Was made to work overtime"
Unwilling compliance
Victim of authority
Victim Perspective
Speaker as victim
親に野菜を食べさせられた
"Was made to eat vegetables by parents"
先生に掃除をさせられた
"Was made to clean by teacher"
Focus on being forced
Speaker didn't want to
Authority imposed
Complaint Function
Expressing grievance
毎日残業させられる
"Am made to work overtime every day"
無理やり飲ませられた
"Was forcibly made to drink"
Common in complaints
Venting frustration
Sharing hardship
Authority Contexts
Hierarchical situations
上司に報告書を書かせられた
"Was made to write report by boss"
親に塾に行かせられた
"Was made to go to cram school by parents"
先生に宿題をやらせられた
"Was made to do homework by teacher"
Work hierarchies
Parent-child
Teacher-student
Unwanted Tasks
Unpleasant duties
嫌な仕事をさせられた
"Was made to do unpleasant work"
掃除をさせられた
"Was made to clean"
待たされた
"Was made to wait"
Negative tasks
Unwilling performance
Frustration expressed
With に (Agent)
Who forced you
親に勉強させられる
"Be made to study by parents"
会社に残業させられる
"Be made to work overtime by company"
に marks the forcer
Agent of causation
Who made you do it
Negative Form
Not being made to
宿題をさせられなかった
"Wasn't made to do homework"
行かせられなかった
"Wasn't made to go"
Escaped obligation
Avoided being forced
Lucky exception
Past Tense
Was made to
昨日残業させられた
"Was made to work overtime yesterday"
子供の時よく勉強させられた
"Was often made to study as a child"
Past forced actions
Completed unwilling acts
Historical complaints
てしまう Addition
Regret emphasis
変な物を食べさせられてしまった
"Ended up being made to eat strange thing"
無理やり歌わされてしまった
"Ended up being forced to sing"
Double regret
Unfortunate completion
Emphasized victimhood
Continuous State
Ongoing force
毎日残業させられている
"Am being made to work overtime every day"
ずっと待たされている
"Am being made to wait forever"
Current ongoing
Continuing victimhood
Still being forced
Physical Actions
Bodily force
立たされた
"Was made to stand"
走らされた
"Was made to run"
座らされた
"Was made to sit"
Physical compliance
Body control
Often punishment
Childhood Memories
Common reminiscence
子供の時、よく勉強させられた
"As a child, was often made to study"
ピアノを習わされた
"Was made to learn piano"
野菜を食べさせられた
"Was made to eat vegetables"
Childhood experiences
Parental authority
Common stories
Work Complaints
Professional grievances
無理な仕事をさせられる
"Am made to do unreasonable work"
休日出勤させられた
"Was made to come to work on day off"
夜遅くまで働かされた
"Was made to work until late at night"
Workplace complaints
Authority abuse
Common frustrations
Polite Contexts
Formal complaints
お客様を待たせてしまい、申し訳ございません
"Apologies for making customer wait"
Even in formal language
Causative-passive appears
Though softer phrasing
Short Form Usage
Casual speech
Standard long: 読ませられた
Casual short: 読まされた
Standard long: 行かせられた
Casual short: 行かされた
Standard long: 待たせられた
Casual short: 待たされた
Shorter = more casual
Common in conversation
Natural speech
Only う-verbs
Emotional Weight
Feeling forced
Using causative-passive shows:
- Resentment
- Unwillingness
- Victimhood
- Complaint
Strong emotional content
Not neutral description
Implies negative feeling
Avoiding Responsibility
Not my choice
させられた implies:
"It wasn't my decision"
"I had no choice"
"Authority made me"
"Not my fault"
Shifts responsibility
Away from self
Onto authority
Common Verbs
Frequently used
待たされる/待たされる "be made to wait"
働かされる/働かせられる "be made to work"
勉強させられる "be made to study"
食べさせられる "be made to eat"
やらされる/やらせられる "be made to do"
行かされる/行かせられる "be made to go"
立たされる/立たせられる "be made to stand"
書かされる/書かせられる "be made to write"
Master these patterns
Common complaints
Daily usage
Nuance Difference
Causative vs causative-passive
Causative (active):
親が子供を勉強させる
"Parent makes child study"
Parent's perspective
Causative-passive:
子供が親に勉強させられる
"Child is made to study by parent"
Child's (victim's) perspective
Different viewpoints
Different implications
Choose by perspective
In Questions
Asking about being forced
何をさせられたの？
"What were you made to do?"
誰に行かされたの？
"Who made you go?"
なぜそんなことをさせられたの？
"Why were you made to do such a thing?"
Sympathetic questions
Understanding situation
Formal Situations
Professional language
長時間労働をさせられております
"Am being made to work long hours"
過重な業務をさせられています
"Am being made to do excessive work"
More formal conjugation
Same victim feeling
Professional complaints
Cultural Context
Japanese work culture
Causative-passive common in:
- Work complaints
- School memories
- Parental authority stories
- Service industry
Reflects hierarchical society
Power dynamics
Authority structures
てもらう Alternative
When not victim
If willing:
❌ 手伝わされた (sounds unwilling)
✓ 手伝ってもらった
"Had (someone) help me"
If not victim perspective
Use different structure
てもらう for cooperation
Common Mistakes
❌ Using when you wanted to do it
Causative-passive implies unwillingness
✓ Only use when forced
❌ Confusing short and long forms
✗ 食べさされる (wrong for る-verb)
✓ Know which verbs can shorten
✓ 食べさせられる (る-verbs stay long)
❌ Wrong particle for agent
✗ 親が勉強させられた
✓ Use に for agent
✓ 親に勉強させられた
Victim perspective crucial
Implies negative feeling
Use appropriately
Practical Examples
Real-life complaints
会議で発表させられた
"Was made to present at meeting"
一晩中勉強させられた
"Was made to study all night"
嫌いな食べ物を食べさせられた
"Was made to eat food I hate"
雨の中、外で待たされた
"Was made to wait outside in rain"
理不尽な仕事をやらされている
"Am being made to do unreasonable work"
子供の頃、ピアノを習わされた
"Was made to learn piano as a child"
上司に休日出勤させられた
"Was made to work on holiday by boss"
無理やり飲まされた
"Was forcibly made to drink"
Daily complaints
Work frustrations
Childhood memories
Unwilling compliance
Victim stories
Authority grievances
Natural expression
Common in conversation