〜れる/られる（尊敬）

Honorific Passive

Level 3Sounds Like reru/rareru (sonkei)

The honorific passive is a versatile way to show respect to a superior's actions. It uses the same conjugation as the passive voice but functions as 尊敬語（そんけいご）. It is often called 'Light Keigo' because it is less formal than special honorific verbs like いらっしゃる.

How It Works

The honorific passive is a key part of honorific language. It is particularly useful in business or daily polite conversation because it is less stiff than other honorific forms.

1. Conjugation Rules:
It follows the exact same rules as the passive voice:

  • Godan Verbs: Change the final -u sound to the -a row and add れる. (e.g., 書く（かく） → 書かれる（かかれる）)
  • Ichidan Verbs: Remove る and add られる. (e.g., 食べる（たべる） → 食べられる（たべられる）)
  • Irregular Verbs: する becomes される; 来る（くる） becomes こられる.

2. Usage Nuance:
This form is strictly used for the actions of others (superiors, customers, or elders) and never for one's own actions. While it is respectful, it is considered 'lighter' than the お〜になる pattern or special verbs like おっしゃる. If a verb has a special honorific form, using the honorific passive is still correct but slightly less formal.

3. Important Distinctions:

  • Potential Form: The honorific passive is identical to the potential form for Ichidan verbs. However, unlike the potential form where 'ra' is sometimes dropped in casual speech, the 'ra' must never be dropped in the honorific passive.
  • Adversative Passive: Unlike the standard passive voice, the honorific passive cannot be used to express being troubled by someone's action (the 'suffering' passive). It only describes the action itself with respect.
  • Subject: In the honorific passive, the subject is the person performing the action. In a true passive sentence, the subject is the one receiving the action.

Examples (4)

  1. 先生はもう帰られました。

    The teacher has already gone home.

    Word by Word: Teacher (topic) already returned (honorific passive).

    Here, the verb 帰る (to return) is conjugated into the honorific passive 帰られる to show respect to the teacher.

  2. 社長はゴルフをされますか？

    Do you (the President) play golf?

    Word by Word: President (topic) golf (object) do (honorific passive) (question)?

    The irregular verb する becomes される. This is a common way to ask a superior about their hobbies or actions.

  3. 部長は明日休まれるそうです。

    I heard the department head will be taking tomorrow off.

    Word by Word: Department head (topic) tomorrow rest (honorific passive) (hearsay).

    休む (to rest/take off) becomes 休まれる. This shows respect to the department head even when they are not present.

  4. 何をお読みになられますか？

    What are you reading? (Note: This is 'Double Keigo')

    Word by Word: What (object) read (honorific) (honorific passive) (question)?

    This example shows 'Double Keigo' (二重敬語), combining お〜になる with the honorific passive. While technically incorrect, it is frequently heard in modern service industry Japanese.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the honorific passive for your own actions.

    私は明日行かれます。
    私は明日行きます。

    尊敬語（そんけいご） is only used to elevate others. Using it for yourself makes it sound like you are trying to show respect to yourself, which is grammatically and socially incorrect.

  • Mixing honorific passive with humble verbs.

    先生が参られました。
    先生が来られました。

    参る（まいる） is a humble verb（謙譲語） used for one's own actions. You cannot add a respectful passive suffix to a verb that is inherently humble. Use the standard verb with the passive suffix instead.

  • Dropping the 'ra' (ra-nuki) in the honorific form.

    先生が食べれます。
    先生が食べられます。

    While 'ra-nuki' (dropping 'ra') is common in casual potential forms, it is never acceptable in the honorific passive. You must always include the full 'られる' to maintain proper respect.

How It Connects

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〜れる/られる（尊敬）Level 3Honorific Passive

Learn This First

The honorific passive is a way to show respect to a superior by using the passive conjugation for their actions. To understand this, you must first learn the conjugation rules for the passive voice and understand the social context of honorific language in Japanese.

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