させる – The Japanese Causative Form and the Particles They Go with

Hello you grammar thirsty language goblins, today we are going to be learning all about the causative form “使役形 (しえきけい)“. This is a Japanese form that lets you express the concept of “making” or “letting” somebody do something. 

This is an N4 grammar point and is really important to know. Not only is it super useful but it’s also quite fun to learn and can be used practically on a day to day basis.

The Japanese Causative Form and the Japanese Particles They Go with :Did Mom make me clean my room, or did she let me clean it? The causative verb form is one of the most difficult to learn in Japanese, but with a little bit of practice and patience, you can master it just like with all of the other verb forms! Today, we’re going to learn what the causative form is, how to conjugate verbs with it, and which particles to use!

A look at the 使役形(しえきけい) definition . Learning about how you can use the form.

So the causative form, otherwise known as the “saseru” form. It applied to verbs to give them the meaning of to “let” or to “make” someone do something. 

Now you might be thinking, “Oh no … why is there two meanings” well it’s not that bad, let us tell you why. Even though to make somebody do something and to let somebody do something are completely different concepts, you need to understand which one it will be through the context and tone of the conversation. 

This is a hugely common form that is going to be really useful for you to know. Be warned, it is a little tricky but we are sure you will get it.

Let’s have a look at the next section to see how you can start making sentences of your own using the saseru form. 

Let’s learn about how to actually form causative sentences 

Make sure that you have a really good understanding of the grammar. 

So first off we have to understand that it is the verb that is changed into a causative form which makes it a causative sentence. Depending on the verb ending the way you conjugate these verbs are different. Take a look at the example chart below. 

Ru-verb	る -> させる
U-verb	(ない form) ない -> せる
する	させる
くる	こさせる

Here are some more examples to show you how different verb are conjugated: 

U verb	聞く	聞かせる(kikaseru)	To let/ make them hear
Ru Verb	食べる	食べさせる (tabesaseru)	To let/ make them eat.
U verb	立つ	たたせる (tataseru)	To be made/ let to stand
U verb	買う –	買わせる (kawaseru)	To make / let someone buy
U Verb	飲む	-> 飲ませる (nomaseru)	To let / make someone drink

Let’s have a look at an example sentence.

彼にレポートを書かせた
Kare ni repo-to wo kakaseta
Made him write a report. 

In causative sentences you use に to indicate who has been let / made to do the action.

This could also mean “let him write the report” however that is to be decided through the context and tone of the phrase 

Now we have an understanding of how the saseru form is formed and also the grammar rules behind the sentences, let;s move on to looking at some example sentences to get you more comfortable with the form. 

Let’s look at some great example sentences using the causative form.

Ensure you get really comfortable with using the pattern.

Let’s take a look at some example sentences. Be sure to pay close attention to the use of “NI” to indicate who is being made to do the action. Also try and recognise which verb group has been used too within the sentence. 

息子に勉強をさせる。
Musuko ni benkyou o saseru.
To make my daughter study.

このしごとはともだちにやらせます。
kono shigoto wa tomodachi ni yarasemasu.
I'll make one of my friends do this task.

きみをなかせるつもりはなかった。
kimi o nakaseru tsumori wa nakatta!
I didn't mean to make you cry!

ぼくのかぞくにやらせてください。
boku no kazoku ni yarasete kudasai.
Please allow my family to do it. 

Great, so now we have had a look over a few example sentences. Let’s learn how you can master the saseru form in your own time. 

A practical study technique that you can use every day 

Get better and better with using the form.

So how can we master this form? First it’s all about getting comfortable with the conjugations. Start by writing out a table like ours in section 2 and add in some of your own verbs. Practicing this every day will really help you get more efficient with conjugations. 

Next you want to commit to writing 10 – 20 sentences with this new form. The more you use it the more comfortable and used to it you will become. Try to do this for 5 – 6 days so you can really allow it to settle into your brain.

Oh, Yeah? Make me!: The Causative Form and the Particles They Go with

• させる   to make/ to let (casual)
• させない   to not make/ to not let (casual)
• させます    to make/ to let (formal)
• させません to not make/ to not let (formal)

In English, there is a difference between making someone do something and letting someone do something. If you make someone do something, you are forcing them to do it against their will. If you let someone do something, you are allowing them to do it in accordance with their will. In Japanese, the person’s will doesn’t matter when it comes to conjugating the verb; it is interpreted through context. However, in order to avoid vagueness, the “let” aspect can be emphasized by using auxiliary verbs that indicate doing a favor (such as, yaru, ageru, or kureru).

Example:

高橋先生は生徒にレポートを書かせた

Takahashi-sensei wa seito ni repooto wo kakaseta.

Ms. Takahashi made/let the student write the report.

In English, you have to choose one or the other—did she make the student write the report, or did she let the student write it? However, in Japanese the verb remains the same (kakaseta), but we can infer from the situation that she made him write the report (since we know that most students don’t like doing such things).

Creating the Japanese causative form     

In order to create the causative form, you first conjugate the verb into the negative form. If it is a U-verb (e.g. kaku, to write; hanasu, to speak), you do it like this:

Japanese	書く	➡️	書かない
Romaji	kaku	➡️	kakanai
English	write	➡️	don’t write

Japanese	話す	➡️	話さない
Romaji	hanasu	➡️	hanasanai
English	speak	➡️	don’t speak

If it is a Ru-verb (e.g. taberu, to eat; miru, to see), you do it like this:

Japanese	食べる	➡️	食べない
Romaji	taberu	➡️	tabenai
English	eat	➡️	don’t eat

Japanese	見る	➡️	見ない
Romaji	miru	➡️	minai
English	see	➡️	don’t see

If it is an irregular verb (e.g. suru, to do; kuru, to come), you do it like this:

Japanese	する	➡️	しない
Romaji	suru	➡️	shinai
English	do	➡️	don’t do

Japanese	来る	➡️	来ない
Romaji	kuru	➡️	konai
English	come	➡️	don’t come

Once you conjugate the verb into the negative form, you take the “nai” part out and replace it with “seru” for U-verbs and “saseru” for Ru-verbs. Irregular verbs suru and kuru become “saseru” and “kosaseru.”

U-verbs

–	Japanese	Romaji	English
Dictionary form	書く	kaku	write
Negative form	書かない	kakanai	don’t write
Causative form	書かせる	kakaseru	make/let write
Dictionary form	話す	hanasu	speak
Negative form	話さない	hanasanai	don’t speak
Causative form	話させる	hanasaseru	make/let speak

Ru-verbs

–	Japanese	Romaji	English
Dictionary form	食べる	taberu	eat
Negative form	食べない	tabenai	don’t eat
Causative form	食べさせる	tabesaseru	make/let eat
Dictionary form	見る	miru	see
Negative form	見ない	minai	don’t see
Causative form	見させる	misaseru	make/let see

Irregular verbs

–	Japanese	Romaji	English
Dictionary form	する	suru	do
Negative form	しない	shinai	don’t do
Causative form	させる	saseru	make/let do
Dictionary form	来る	kuru	come
Negative form	来ない	konai	don’t come
Causative form	来させる	kosaseru	make/let come

Let’s have a look at the first use “To Make”:

Person AはPerson BにVERB SASERU

母は私に野菜を食べさせる
My mother makes me eat vegetables 

私は友達にあやまらせた
I made my friend apologise 

先生はアダムさんに宿題をやらせた
Sensei made Adam do his homework. 

Let’s have a look at the second use “To Let”:

Person AはPerson BにVERB SASERU 　　

母は私に野菜を食べさせる
My mother lets me eat vegetables 

私は友達にあやまらせた
I let my friend apologise 

先生はアダムさんに宿題をやらせた
Sensei let Adam do his homework. 

Example sentences:

弁護士は目撃者を話させた。

Bengoshi wa mokugekisha wo hanasaseta.

The lawyer had the eyewitness speak.

お母さんは子供に野菜を食べさせた。

Okaasan wa kodomo ni yasai wo tabesaseta.

The mother made/let her child eat their vegetables.

親は彼に暴力映画を見させてやる。

Oya wa kare ni bouryoku eiga wo misasete yaru. 

His parents make/let him watch violent movies.

(In this example, we are using “misasete yaru” because yaru is an auxiliary verb that indicates a favor. Therefore, it emphasizes that the parents are letting him watch violent movies. If we took the yaru away and left it as misaseru, then it could be interpreted that they force him to watch violent movies—which wouldn’t be very good parenting, suffice it to say.) 

父は私に部屋を掃除させる。

Chichi wa watashi ni heya wo souji saseru.

My dad makes/lets me clean my room.

警察は岡田さんを裁判に来させた。

Keisatsu wa Okada-san wo saiban ni kosaseta.

The police made/let Mr. Okada go to court.

Choosing the Correct Particle for a Causative Sentence

The main particles we are dealing with in causative sentences are wa, ni, and wo.

Wa is used to mark the subject of the sentence, which is the person who is making/letting someone do something.

Example:

お母さんは息子にピアノを習わせる。

Okaasan wa musuko ni piano wo narawaseru.

The mother makes her son learn the piano.

In this example, the mother is the one making her son do it. Therefore, she takes the particle wa.

Ni is used when a transitive verb (i.e. a verb that takes a direct object) is involved. In this type of sentence, ni is attached to the person who is being made/let to do something, and wo is attached to the direct object.

Example:

お祖父さんは私に金貨を見させてくれた。

Ojiisan wa watashi ni kinka wo misasete kureta.

My grandpa let me see his gold coins.

In this example, the grandpa is the one letting someone do something; therefore, wa is attached to him. Watashi (I) is the one being let to do something; therefore, ni is attached. The gold coins are the direct object (the thing watashi is being allowed to see); therefore, wo is attached to them.

Also note that we attached the auxiliary verb kureru to misaseru to emphasize that the grandpa is doing his grandson a favor by showing him/her the coins.

Lastly, wo is used when an intransitive verb (i.e. a verb that does NOT take a direct object) is involved. In this type of sentence, wo is attached to the person who is being made/let to do something (as opposed to ni).

Example:

上司は伊勢崎さんを早く家へ帰らせた。

Joushi wa Isezaki-san wo hayaku ie e kaeraseta.

The boss let Mr. Isezaki go home early.

In this example, the boss is the one making/letting someone do something; therefore, the boss takes the wa particle. There is no direct object associated with going home (because it is an intransitive verb), so Mr. Isezaki does NOT take on the ni particle. Instead he takes the wo particle, which still shows that he is the one being made/let to do something.

In summary, the causative form is a way of expressing that someone makes/lets someone else do something. 

The verb is conjugated by taking the negative form of the verb, removing nai, and adding “seru” (for U-verbs) or “saseru” (for Ru-verbs). Irregular verbs suru and kuru, become saseru and kosaseru. 

After that, we use the particles wa, ni, and wo to indicate who is the one making/letting someone do something, who is the one being made/let to do something, and what object is involved (if there is one). Wa is used to indicate who is making/letting someone do something. Ni is used to indicate who is being made/let to do something. Wo is used to either indicate the object that is involved with what the person is being made/let to do, or it is used in intransitive verb sentences instead of ni to indicate the person who is being made/let to do something.

A quick summary of the lesson

Ensure that you have really absorbed all of the information from today’s lesson. 

1. The causative form is also known as the SASERU form 
2. Depending on the verb ending this form conjugates in different ways 
3. The form can mean “to let” or “to make” depending on the context
4. Use today’s study technique to master the form 

Well guys we really hope that you enjoyed today’s online Japanese article from Bondlingo. If you have any other comments or suggestions on topics you would like us to talk about next please do get in touch with us.

Good luck with the causative form! Don’t forget to get out there and practice, practice, practice!         

Learn Japanese Causative Form with BondLingo

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