Lesson26:Verbられる-The Japanese Passive Voice: Understanding “Ukemikei”

The Japanese passive voice (受け身形 – ukemikei), much like the English passive voice, expresses that the subject of the sentence “had something done to it” or “was subjected to an action.” Instead of focusing on the person performing the action (the agent), the passive voice highlights the person or thing that receives the action.

When to Use the Passive Voice

You’ll primarily use the passive voice in Japanese in these situations:

1. When the Agent is Known (by someone/something):
   • Example: 泥棒 (どろぼう) に 財布 (さいふ) を盗 (ぬす) まれました。(My wallet was stolen by the thief.)
2. When the Agent is Unimportant or Unknown (it is done):
   • Example: このビルは100年 (ねん) 前 (まえ) に建 (た) てられました。(This building was built 100 years ago.)
3. To Express an Unfortunate or Negative Consequence (the “unfortunate passive”):
   • This is a distinctive and very common use of the passive voice in Japanese. It implies that the subject experienced an undesirable or inconvenient outcome due to the action.
   • Example: 雨 (あめ) に降 (ふ) られました。(It rained, and I was negatively affected/inconvenienced by it.)
   • Example: 子供 (こども) にゲーム機 (き) を壊 (こわ) されました。(My child broke the game console, and I was negatively affected by it.)

How to Form the Passive Voice

The way you form the passive voice depends on the type of verb. Japanese verbs are generally categorized into “u-verbs” (五段動詞 – godan dōshi), “ru-verbs” (一段動詞 – ichidan dōshi), and irregular verbs.

Google スプレッドシートにエクスポート

Understanding Particles with the Passive Voice

Using the correct particles is crucial in passive sentences, as they clarify the roles of different elements in the sentence. The particle used often depends on the context and the nature of the action.

1. 「に」 (ni): Indicating the Agent

This is the most common particle to indicate who or what performed the action in a passive sentence. It’s similar to “by” in English.

• [Agent] に [Passive Verb]
• Example: 泥棒 (どろぼう) に 財布 (さいふ) を盗 (ぬす) まれました。
  • (My wallet was stolen by the thief.)
• Example: 先生 (せんせい) に 褒 (ほ) められました。
  • (I was praised by the teacher.)

2. 「から」 (kara): Indicating Source or Origin

While less common than 「に」 for the agent, 「から」 can be used in passive sentences to indicate the source of a message or information, or where something originates from. You’ll often see it with verbs like “to be taught” or “to be told.”

• [Source/Origin] から [Passive Verb]
• Example: 彼 (かれ) は友達 (ともだち) から 秘密 (ひみつ) を聞 (き) かされました。
  • (He was told a secret from his friend.)
• Example: そのニュースは大使館 (たいしかん) から 発表 (はっぴょう) されました。
  • (That news was announced from the embassy.)

3. 「によって」 (ni yotte): Indicating Agent, Means, or Cause (More Formal)

Similar to 「に」, 「によって」 indicates the agent, but it carries a more formal tone and can also express the means, method, or cause of an action. It’s often used in academic papers, news reports, or other formal writing, similar to “by means of” or “due to” in English.

• [Agent/Means/Cause] によって [Passive Verb]
• Example: この絵 (え) は有名 (ゆうめい) な画家 (がか) によって 描 (えが) かれました。
  • (This painting was drawn by a famous artist.)
• Example: 台風 (たいふう) によって、多 (おお) くの家 (いえ) が破壊 (はかい) されました。
  • (Many houses were destroyed due to the typhoon.)

4. 「を」 (o) in “Indirect Passive” or “Adversity Passive”

In some passive sentences, especially those expressing an unfortunate or negative impact (the “unfortunate passive”), the particle 「を」 (o) might still appear. This happens when the object of the original active verb retains its direct object function even in the passive construction.

• [Subject] に [Agent (optional)] [Object] を [Passive Verb]
• Example: 私 (わたし) は隣 (となり) の人 (ひと) に足 (あし) を踏 (ふ) まれました。
  • (My foot was stepped on by the person next to me. / I had my foot stepped on by the person next to me.)
  • The foot (足) is the object of the action “to step on.”
• Example: 彼 (かれ) は犬 (いぬ) に大切 (たいせつ) な本 (ほん) を噛 (か) み破 (やぶ) られました。
  • (His important book was torn by the dog. / He had his important book torn by the dog.)
  • The book (本) is the object of the action “to tear.”

Example Sentences in Passive Voice

Let’s look at more examples, paying attention to the particles used:

1. General Passive (Agent is clear):
   • この歌 (うた) は、世界中 (せかいじゅう) の人々 (ひとびと) に歌 (うた) われています。
     • (This song is sung by people all over the world.)
   • その本 (ほん) は、私 (わたし) の父 (ちち) によって書 (か) かれました。
     • (That book was written by my father.)
2. Passive where Agent is Unclear/Unimportant:
   • 日本語は世界 (せかい) 中 (ちゅう) で話 (はな) されています。
     • (Japanese is spoken all over the world.)
   • 新 (あたら) しい駅 (えき) が来年 (らいねん) 建 (た) てられる予定 (よてい) です。
     • (A new station is planned to be built next year.)
3. Passive Expressing Negative Impact (Adversity Passive):
   • 電車 (でんしゃ) の中 (なか) で、隣 (となり) の人 (ひと) に足 (あし) を踏 (ふ) まれました。
     • (Someone stepped on my foot on the train, and I was inconvenienced by it.)
   • 犬 (いぬ) に大切 (たいせつ) な本 (ほん) を噛 (か) み破 (やぶ) られました。
     • (My important book was torn by the dog, which was unfortunate for me.)
   • 田中 (たなか) さんは、部長 (ぶちょう) に叱 (しか) られました。
     • (Tanaka-san was scolded by the manager, which was unpleasant for Tanaka-san.)

The passive voice is a very useful grammatical structure to enrich your Japanese expressions. Pay special attention to the “unfortunate passive” and the particles used, as they are key to expressing nuanced meaning in Japanese.