を余儀なくさせる

Force into

Level 4Sounds Like woyoginakusaseru

The pattern を余儀なくさせる is a formal way to say that a specific situation or cause forced someone to do something or made an action unavoidable. It is almost exclusively used for negative or burdensome events like cancellations, resignations, or delays.

How It Works

1. Meaning and Nuance
The word 余儀（よぎ） means 'other way' or 'alternative,' and なく means 'without.' Combined with the causative させる (to make/force), the expression literally means 'to make it so there is no other way.' It carries a strong nuance of inevitability and lack of choice due to external pressure.

2. Formal Register
This pattern is highly formal and is primarily found in news reports, academic writing, and official statements. You will rarely hear it in casual conversation.

3. Grammatical Structure
The structure follows this specific logic:

  • [Cause] が: The reason for the force (e.g., a storm, a scandal).
  • [Actor] に: The person or group being forced.
  • [Action Noun] を: The action that must be taken. This is typically a noun derived from a suru-verb (e.g., 中止, 辞任, 延期).
  • 余儀なくさせた: The verb phrase.

4. Causative vs. Passive
It is crucial to distinguish this from 〜を余儀なくされる (the passive version). In the causative version (させる), the Cause is the subject. In the passive version (される), the Person affected is the subject.

Examples (4)

  1. 突然の豪雨が、登山者たちに下山を余儀なくさせた。

    The sudden heavy rain forced the hikers to descend the mountain.

    Word by Word: Sudden heavy rain (subject) hikers (to) mountain-descent (object) forced.

    Here, the 'heavy rain' is the cause that forced the 'hikers' to take the action of 'descending.'

  2. 不祥事の発覚が、社長に辞任を余儀なくさせた。

    The discovery of the scandal forced the president to resign.

    Word by Word: Scandal's discovery (subject) president (to) resignation (object) forced.

    The scandal is the external force that left the president with no choice but to step down.

  3. 深刻な資金不足が、プロジェクトの中止を余儀なくさせた。

    A serious lack of funds made the cancellation of the project unavoidable.

    Word by Word: Serious funds-lack (subject) project's cancellation (object) forced.

    In this case, the 'actor' (the project team) is omitted, focusing purely on the cause and the resulting unavoidable action.

  4. 怪我の悪化が、彼に現役引退を余儀なくさせた。

    The worsening of his injury forced him to retire from active play.

    Word by Word: Injury's worsening (subject) him (to) active-retirement (object) forced.

    A common use case in sports journalism to describe an athlete's forced retirement.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a person as the subject of the sentence.

    私は中止を余儀なくさせた。
    嵐が私に中止を余儀なくさせた。

    In the causative form (させる), the subject must be the 'Cause' or 'Reason.' If you want to make 'I' the subject, you must use the passive form: 私は中止を余儀なくされた。

  • Using the pattern for positive or happy outcomes.

    合格が私に留学を余儀なくさせた。
    合格したので、留学することになった。

    This pattern is reserved for burdensome, negative, or regrettable situations. You wouldn't use it for passing an exam or winning a prize.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

を余儀なくさせるLevel 4Force into

Learn This First

The pattern 'を余儀なくさせる' is a formal expression used to describe how external circumstances force a person or entity into a difficult situation. It is built upon the causative form (させる) of the verb 'to force' (余儀なくする). To understand this, you need to be familiar with causative verb structures and the base expression 'を余儀なくされる', which describes the same situation from the perspective of the one being forced.

Words in This Pattern

余儀なくさせる余儀ない