Japanese causative form: make or let someone act

The idea

For godan verbs change the final u sound to the a row and add せる (書く → 書かせる; う → わせる). For ichidan verbs replace る with させる. Irregular する → させる and 来る → 来させる. With a transitive verb, mark the person with に and the object with を; with an intransitive verb the person often takes を or に.

Examples

• 先生せんせいは学生がくせいに名前なまえを書かかせました。The teacher made the students write their names.
• 母ははは私わたしにケーキを食たべさせました。My mother let me eat cake.
• コーチは子こどもたちを公園こうえんで走はしらせました。The coach made the children run in the park.
• 先生せんせいは学生がくせいを早はやく帰かえらせました。The teacher let the student go home early.
• 店長てんちょうは私わたしに仕事しごとをもう一度いちどさせました。The manager made me do the work again.
• 私わたしは友達ともだちを家いえに来こさせました。I let my friend come to my home.

Watch out

The form alone does not tell you whether the action was forced or permitted. Avoid using two を markers in the same simple clause; use に for the person when the object has を.

Try it yourself

1. 書かく → ＿＿

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   書かせる

   書かせる — 書く is godan: change く to か and add せる.

2. 食たべる → ＿＿

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   食べさせる

   食べさせる — Remove the final る of this ichidan verb and add させる.

3. する → ＿＿

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   させる

   させる — This is the irregular causative of する.

4. 来くる → ＿＿

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   来させる

   来させる — 来る is irregular; its causative is read こさせる.

Use it today

Describe one thing a teacher made someone do and one thing a parent allowed someone to do. Identify the person and any object.