Direct passive

The direct passive is formed using transitive verbs (taking を) as well as certain verbs that take a direct target marked by に. Crucially, the target or object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence, changing its particle from を or に to が or は. It is constructed based on the verb group:

• Godan Verbs: Change the final -u sound to -a and add れる (e.g., 書く（かく） → 書かれる（かかれる）). A helpful tip is to simply take the ない form stem and add れる (e.g., 書かない（かかない） → 書かれる（かかれる）). For verbs ending in う, use わ (e.g., 買う（かう） → 買われる（かわれる）).
• Ichidan Verbs: Remove the final 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. (Note: The standalone verb くる becomes こられる, but as an intransitive verb, it is exclusively used in the indirect passive. However, transitive compound verbs ending in くる, such as 連れてくる（つれてくる）, can form direct passives).

Usage Nuances:
1. Neutral Tone: Unlike the indirect passive, the direct passive is grammatically neutral and does not inherently imply inconvenience or negative impact. It simply shifts the focus to the receiver of the action (e.g., being praised, invited, or scolded).
2. Inanimate Subjects & Objective Facts: The direct passive frequently takes inanimate objects as subjects (e.g., buildings or books), whereas the indirect passive almost exclusively requires an animate subject. In news, formal writing, or historical contexts, it is used to state facts objectively without an emotional nuance. For historical facts, the simple past is used (e.g., 'This temple was built in 1600'). However, for ongoing objective facts, general customs, or current states involving inanimate subjects, the 〜ている form is typically used (e.g., 読まれている（よまれている）, 話されている（はなされている）). In these cases, the agent (the 'doer') is frequently omitted entirely because it is unknown, obvious, or unimportant.
3. Agent Marking: Usually, the 'doer' is marked with に. Alternatively, から can be used for actions directed toward the receiver (e.g., 先生から褒められた). For creations or inventions (like books or buildings), によって is used. Furthermore, によって is broadly used in formal contexts for standard actions, or to avoid repeating the に particle when the sentence already contains a に-marked receiver.
4. Comparison: While the direct passive focuses on an action done directly to the subject, the indirect passive describes a situation where the subject is indirectly affected by someone else's action.
5. Possessive Passive: When an action is done directly to a body part or personal possession, Japanese avoids making the body part the subject (e.g., 私の手が犬に噛まれた is unnatural). Instead, the person becomes the subject, and the body part remains marked by を (e.g., 私は犬に手を噛まれた). This is often categorized alongside the indirect passive.