Learn how the Japanese (ra)reru form is made, why it is ambiguous, and how verb class changes its meaning.
Japanese (Ra)reru Form: Passive, Respectful, and Potential
~5 min read
In a nutshell: to make the respectful (ra)reru form, we’ll need to get familiar with the different ways this form is made for each verb class.
Table of Contents
The (Ra)reru Form: Important, Useful, and a Little Messy
Important:
The (ra)reru form is important because it’s used a lot.
Useful:
The (ra)reru form is useful because it can turn almost any plain verb into a respectful verb.
Messy:
The (ra)reru form is a little messy because the same form can express three different meanings:
passive
respectful
potential
That makes it one of the most ambiguous verb forms in Japanese. Luckily, context helps make the intended meaning clear.
Consider these two English sentences:
Non-passive: “I broke the glass.”
Passive: “The glass was broken.”
See how the passive example hides the person that broke the glass? Think back to when you were a kid and didn’t want to get in trouble for something—a passive sentence seems like the obvious choice.
This explains how the passive came to be used as an honorific over time in Japanese.
We find a little bit of the politeness of the passive form in English too. Imagine you’re planning a trip with a forgetful friend (we all have one) and you’re following up on the tickets you asked them to book.
Non-passive: “Did you book the tickets?”
Passive: “Have the tickets been booked?”
The passive makes the request feel both more indirect and polite.
So the shared idea is:
hide the actor
avoid direct imposition
However, (ra)reru is promiscuous and will go with just about any plain verb. On top of that, the act of making the (ra)reru form (conjugating the verb) is easy for native speakers.
For these reasons, (ra)reru feels less respectful and less formal than other respectful forms like the replacing and adding form.
Far from being a bad thing, this has made (ra)reru ideal for situations when you want to balance showing respect without feeling too stiff.
First, Know the Verb Classes
Before we can form (ra)reru verbs correctly, we need to understand Japanese verb classes.
These are:
godan verbs
ichidan verbs
the irregular verb 来るくる
the irregular verb する
These verb classes do not all behave in exactly the same way, so it is important to learn the patterns step by step.
Making (Ra)reru from Godan and Ichidan Verbs
Step 1: Work Out Whether the Verb Is Godan or Ichidan
If you don’t know, a useful way to check is by using the “nai method”:
1. change the verb into its ~nai negative form
2. remove nai
3. look at what is left
—If the remaining ends in a (a-row), it is a godan verb
—If it does not end in a (a-row), it is an ichidan verb
Step 2: Add the Correct Ending
Godan verbs: add reru
Ichidan verbs: add rareru
Example: 聞くきく— “to listen”
This is a godan verb. We know this because kika ends in a (a-row).
kiku → kikanai → kika → kikareru
Example: 食べるたべる — “to eat”
This is an ichidan verb. We know this because tabe does not end in a (a-row).
taberu → tabenai → tabe → taberareru
Now we have the passive/respectful (ra)reru form for both godan and ichidan verbs.
| Class | Plain Verb | Passive/Respect |
|---|---|---|
| 五段ごだん | 聞くきく | 聞かれるきかれる |
| 一段いちだん | 食べるたべる | 食べられるたべられる |
How to Make the Potential Form
Now let’s separate that from the potential form.
This is where the verb classes start to differ. The potential form for godan verbs is different from the passive/respectful form, but for ichidan verbs, it’s the same.
Godan Potential: Different from Passive/Respectful
For godan verbs, the potential form is made by changing the final kana from the u-row to the e-row, then adding る.
Example: 聞くきく — “to listen”
kiku → kike → kikeru
That means the godan potential form is different from the passive/respectful form.
| Class | Plain Verb | Passive/Respect | Potential |
|---|---|---|---|
| 五段ごだん | 聞くきく | 聞かれるきかれる | 聞けるきける |
Ichidan Potential: Same as Passive/Respectful
For ichidan verbs, the potential form is the same shape as the passive/respectful form.
Example: 食べるたべる — “to eat”
taberu → tabenai → tabe → taberareru
| Class | Plain Verb | Passive/Respect | Potential |
|---|---|---|---|
| 一段いちだん | 食べるたべる | 食べられるたべられる | 食べられるたべられる |
So with ichidan verbs, the (ra)reru form has three potential meanings.
The Irregular Verbs
There are two so-called “irregular verbs”: 来るくる and する.
来るくる
The first irregular verb 来る can be handled the same as ichidan verbs for forming (ra)reru.
kuru → konai → ko → korareru
So:
来るくる → 来られるこられる
Like ichidan verbs, 来られるこられる can have meanings:
potential
passive
respectful
| Class | Plain Verb | Passive/Respect | Potential |
|---|---|---|---|
| 来るくる | 来るくる | 来られるこられる | 来られるこられる |
する
The next irregular verb する does not follow the same pattern as any other verb class.
Its forms are:
される = passive / respectful
できる = potential
Because Japanese uses する constantly, these forms become familiar fast.
| Class | Plain Verb | Passive/Respect | Potential |
|---|---|---|---|
| するする | するする | されるされる | 出来るできる |
The irregular verb する keeps the potential form distinct from the passive/respectful (ra)reru form.
Ambiguity Across Verb Classes
Godan verbs and する, when in the (ra)reru form, have two potential meanings:
passive
respectful
Ichidan verbs and 来るくる, when in the (ra)reru form, have three potential meanings:
passive
respectful
potential
Key takeaway: one of the main skills with the (ra)reru form is simply getting comfortable with a little ambiguity.