JLPT N3 reference · Voice and transitivity
Causative-passive
It normally presents the subject as compelled or pressured to act by someone else.
Core meaning and form
Combine causative and passive morphology: 食べさせられる, 書かせられる; contracted godan forms such as 書かされる are common. Because the form is heavy, natural speech may prefer a lexical alternative when the coercive meaning is already clear.
- Form: Combine causative and passive morphology: 食べさせられる, 書かせられる; contracted godan forms such as 書かされる are common.
- Core use: It normally presents the subject as compelled or pressured to act by someone else.
- Context: Because the form is heavy, natural speech may prefer a lexical alternative when the coercive meaning is already clear.
Examples in context
子どものころ、野菜を食べさせられました。Kodomo no koro, yasai o tabesaseraremashita.As a child, I was made to eat vegetables.
上司に残業させられた。Jōshi ni zangyō saserareta.My boss made me work overtime.
毎日漢字を書かされました。Mainichi kanji o kakasaremashita.I was made to write kanji every day.
Common errors
- Do not select this pattern from an English translation alone; check its attachment and discourse function.
- Keep the surrounding sentence in a consistent plain, polite, spoken, or written register.
Quick summary
- Combine causative and passive morphology: 食べさせられる, 書かせられる; contracted godan forms such as 書かされる are common.
- It normally presents the subject as compelled or pressured to act by someone else.
- Because the form is heavy, natural speech may prefer a lexical alternative when the coercive meaning is already clear.