Translation guide
The passive voice in Japanese is formed by conjugating verbs into the passive form. It is used to indicate that the subject is acted upon, often to express suffering, inconvenience, or when the agent is unknown or unimportant. Unlike English, Japanese passives can also convey a sense of being adversely affected (suffering passive).
To express that the subject is the recipient of an action, similar to English passive. The agent is often marked by に.
The standard direct passive. The subject is the target of the action. The agent (doer) is marked by に. This pattern is neutral and does not necessarily imply suffering.
この本は多くの人に読まれている。
This book is read by many people.
English is spoken all over the world.
When the agent is unknown or unimportant, it is often omitted. This is very common in Japanese.
この寺は1400年前に建てられた。
This temple was built 1400 years ago.
会議は来週開かれる。
The meeting will be held next week.
To express that the subject is negatively affected or inconvenienced by someone else's action. This is a unique feature of Japanese and often translates to 'had something done to me' or 'was affected by...'.
The subject is the victim or experiencer of an action performed by someone else. The agent is marked by に. This pattern often implies annoyance or harm.
雨に降られた。
I got rained on. (and it was a nuisance)
隣の人にタバコを吸われた。
The person next to me smoked (and it bothered me).
When the subject's possession or close associate is acted upon, the subject is marked by は and the possession by を. This is a type of suffering passive.
私は弟にケーキを食べられた。
My brother ate my cake (and I'm upset about it).
彼は誰かに自転車を盗まれた。
He had his bicycle stolen by someone.
To show respect towards the subject by using the passive form as a mild honorific. This is common in formal speech and writing.
The passive form is used to refer to someone of higher status's actions. It is less direct than active verbs and thus more polite. Often used with 先生, 社長, etc.
先生はもう帰られました。
The teacher has already gone home. (polite)
社長はこの書類を読まれましたか。
Has the president read this document? (polite)
To express that something happens naturally, spontaneously, or without a clear agent. Often used for emotions or thoughts.
Used with verbs of thinking or feeling to indicate that a thought or feeling arises naturally. The agent is not specified. Common verbs: 思われる, 考えられる, 感じられる.
この絵を見ると、故郷が思い出される。
When I see this painting, I am reminded of my hometown.
彼の将来が案じられる。
I feel anxious about his future. (It is felt that...)
English speakers often overuse the direct passive in Japanese. In many cases, an active sentence or a different structure is more natural. For example, 'I was told by him' is often better as '彼に言われた' (suffering passive) or simply '彼が言った' (active).
The direct passive (e.g., 褒められた 'was praised') is neutral, while the suffering passive (e.g., 雨に降られた 'got rained on') implies inconvenience. Context and verb choice determine the nuance.
For ru-verbs: replace る with られる (食べる → 食べられる). For u-verbs: change the last kana to the あ-row equivalent and add れる (書く → 書かれる, 読む → 読まれる). Irregular: する → される, 来る → 来られる (こられる).