Verbs · N4
Japanese passive: 〜(ら)れる
Describe an event from the viewpoint of the person or thing affected by it.
In short
The passive makes the affected participant the grammatical focus: 先生が私をほめました becomes 私は先生にほめられました.
How it works
Japanese also uses an “adversative” passive where the speaker is negatively affected by an event, even when English would not naturally use a passive.
Useful contrast
The same surface ending can overlap with potential for some verbs, especially ichidan verbs. Sentence roles clarify the meaning.
Examples
私は先生にほめられました。
I was praised by the teacher.
雨に降られました。
I got caught in the rain.
Common pitfall
Do not translate every passive mechanically into English passive voice; choose natural English while preserving who is affected.