-ee; passive subject; receiver of an action
Prefix used in formal or technical compounds to indicate the person or thing that receives an action, similar to English '-ee'. Not freely productive; appears in established words like 被雇用者 (employee), 被験者 (test subject), 被信託者 (trustee).
Laws were established to protect the rights of employees.
被験者は実験の内容を事前に説明された。
The test subjects were informed of the experiment's details in advance.
非 and 被 share the reading ひ but 非 is a negation prefix meaning 'non-/un-' (非常識), while 被 marks the recipient of an action (被害者).
費 and 被 share the reading ひ but 費 means 'expense/cost' (費用), while 被 is a prefix marking someone who receives an action (被害者).
damage; harm; injury
suffer damage; be hit by a disaster; fall victim
defendant; the accused
being bombed; suffering bomb damage · being subjected to an atomic bomb attack; exposure to radiation from an atomic bomb
radiation exposure; being exposed to radiation
being hit by a projectile; being shot; being bombed
photographic subject
happi coat; traditional Japanese straight-sleeved coat
coating; covering · cover (mathematics)
From the kanji 被, which carries meanings of 'cover', 'incur', or 'receive'. The prefix use is derived from its sense of 'receiving' an action, paralleling the passive voice.
suffering from maltreatment; being abused
eligibility for election; right to stand for election
clothing; garments; apparel
coating; film; membrane · capsule; tunic
experimental; trial; test
employee
victim; injured party; person who suffered harm
plaintiff and defendant
outer covering; protective coat; casing; jacket
perianth; floral envelope
lower government office (ritsuryō system) · retainer; servant of a higher-ranking person (medieval) · servant of an urban family · serf
coat worn over a kimono; hifu
putamen · frustule; silicified cell wall of a diatom
hair coat; pelage
putting on armor and helmet; wearing armor · gas mask · bullet-protective cover or jacket made of cupronickel
reduced