Japanese Causative Voice: Making & Letting Someone Do

After learning the passive voice where the subject receives an action, we'll now learn the Causative Voice (使役 - shieki), where the subject causes someone else to perform an action. This is the Japanese equivalent of "to make someone do," "to let someone do," or "to have someone do" something.

This form is essential for expressing authority, permission, or responsibility for another's actions.

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Making the Causative Form

The rules for forming the causative depend on the verb's group.

• Group 1 (u-verbs): Change the final 'u' vowel sound to the 'a' sound and add せる (seru).
  Example: 書く (kaku) → 書かせる (kakaseru) - to make someone write
• Group 2 (ru-verbs): Drop the final る (ru) and add させる (saseru).
  Example: 食べる (taberu) → 食べさせる (tabesaseru) - to make someone eat
• Group 3 (Irregular): する → させる (saseru), 来る (kuru) → 来させる (kosaseru)

How to Use the Causative Voice

The most confusing part of the causative voice is choosing the correct particle (を or に) to mark the person who is being made to do the action. The choice depends on the type of verb.

1. For Intransitive Verbs

When you use the causative form of an intransitive verb (a verb that doesn't take a direct object, like 行く or 立つ), the person being made to do the action is marked with を (o).

2. For Transitive Verbs

When you use the causative form of a transitive verb (a verb that already has a direct object, like 食べる or 書く), the person being made to do the action is marked with に (ni). This is to avoid having two を particles in the same clause.