させられる (Causative-Passive) — Forced to Do
One of the trickiest conjugations in Japanese. It combines causative (make) and passive (be affected) into one form, meaning 'I was made/forced by someone to do an action, usually against my will.'
Structure
u-verb: -a + せられる → commonly shortened to -a + される (待つ→待たされる) | ru-verb: drop る + させられる | する→させられる, 来る→来させられる
Examples
子供の頃、毎日野菜を食べさせられた。
Kodomo no koro, mainichi yasai o tabesaserareta.
When I was a child, I was forced to eat vegetables every day.
食べる → 食べさせる (make eat) → 食べさせられる (be made to eat)
先輩に一時間も待たされた。
Senpai ni ichijikan mo matasareta.
I was made to wait a whole hour by my senior.
待つ → 待たせる (causative) → 待たせられる → 待たされる (u-verb short form)
つまらない映画を見させられた。
Tsumaranai eiga o misaserareta.
I was forced to watch a boring movie.
見る → 見させる → 見させられる
• Victim subject: Because the core is passive, YOU are the affected party and take は/が (私は); the person who forced you takes に (母に). • Emphasizes unwillingness: This form signals you disliked the action. If you were happy to do it, use てもらう instead. • U-verb short form: 待たせられる naturally contracts to 待たされる. Note: this short form is avoided for verbs whose stem already ends in さ (e.g. 話す stays 話させられる, not 話さされる).
Commonly confused with
The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones させられる is tested against.
vs させる (causative)
させる is the forcer's view (I make you). させられる is the forced person's view (I am made to).
vs られる (passive)
Plain passive means an action was simply done to you. させられる adds that someone actively COMPELLED you to perform the action yourself.
More verb forms
- てくる — Come Doing / Has Been Doing (Toward Now)
- てみる — Try Doing (and See)
- Potential Form — Can / Be Able To (Verbs)
- がる／がっている — Describing Others' Feelings
- 〜出す (だす) — Abrupt Eruptions
- 〜始める (はじめる) — Intentional Beginnings
- 意向形 (いこうけい) — Volitional Form (Let's / I'll)
- くする / にする — Make something become (a quality)
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