Translation guide
In Japanese, the causative voice is formed by adding the auxiliary verb 〜せる／〜させる to the verb stem. It expresses making or letting someone do something, and the choice of particle (に or を) depends on whether the action is transitive or intransitive, and whether permission or force is implied.
Expressing that the subject causes or forces someone else to perform an action.
Attach to the verb stem: for godan verbs, use the -a stem + せる; for ichidan verbs, use the stem + させる; for irregular verbs, する→させる, くる→こさせる. The person made to act is marked with に for intransitive verbs, and を for transitive verbs (though に is also possible with transitive verbs when the object is present).
母は私に野菜を食べさせた。
My mother made me eat vegetables.
先生は生徒を立たせた。
The teacher made the student stand up.
When the verb is intransitive, the person made to act can be marked with を, emphasizing that they are the direct object of causation. This is common when the action is involuntary or the person has no choice.
彼は子供を泣かせた。
He made the child cry.
Expressing that the subject allows or permits someone else to perform an action.
The same form is used for both 'make' and 'let'. Context and particles often disambiguate. With に, it can lean toward permission, especially with verbs of giving/receiving like 〜させてあげる／くれる.
子供に好きなだけ遊ばせた。
I let the children play as much as they wanted.
彼女に行きたいところへ行かせてあげた。
I let her go where she wanted.
Using giving/receiving verbs with the causative makes the permissive sense explicit and adds nuance of favor.
もう少し休ませてください。
Please let me rest a little more.
Expressing that the subject is forced or made to do something by someone else, often with a sense of suffering or inconvenience.
Formed by adding the passive 〜られる to the causative stem. For godan verbs, contraction often occurs: 〜される instead of 〜せられる. The person who forces is marked with に.
私は母に部屋を掃除させられた。
I was made to clean my room by my mother.
毎日残業させられる。
I am forced to work overtime every day.
Expressing that the subject gets someone to do something as a favor or service, often implying gratitude.
The causative form plus もらう indicates receiving the action from someone. The person doing the action is marked with に. This is a very common and natural way to say 'have someone do something'.
友達に手伝ってもらった。
I had my friend help me.
医者に診てもらった。
I had a doctor examine me.
Humble expression for receiving a favor from a superior or in formal situations.
The humble form of もらう. Used when the person doing the action is of higher status or to show respect.
先生に作文を直していただいた。
I had the teacher correct my composition.
Expressing that someone does something for the speaker or the speaker's in-group, emphasizing the favor.
When the causative is used with くれる, it often implies that the person kindly allowed or did something for the speaker. The person is marked with が or は, and the speaker is often omitted.
母が好きなだけ寝させてくれた。
My mother let me sleep as much as I wanted.
With intransitive verbs, を marks the person made to act (often implying force or no choice), while に marks the person allowed to act (permissive). With transitive verbs, に is standard for the person, and を marks the object. Using を for the person with a transitive verb is possible but can be ambiguous or ungrammatical if an object is also present.
子供を遊ばせる。
Make/let the child play.
子供に本を読ませる。
Make/let the child read a book.
English 'make' and 'let' are not separate verbs in Japanese; both are expressed by the causative form. Rely on context, particles, and auxiliary verbs like あげる／くれる／もらう to clarify the nuance.
Godan verbs: change final -u to -a and add せる (e.g., 書く→書かせる). Ichidan verbs: drop -る and add させる (e.g., 食べる→食べさせる). Irregular: する→させる, くる→こさせる. The shortened causative-passive for godan verbs is 〜される (e.g., 書かされる).