Causative Form (使役形): How to Say "Make" and "Let" Someone Do

The causative form (使役形, shiekikei) in Japanese expresses that a subject makes or lets someone else perform an action.¹ One auxiliary attaches as ～せる or ～させる and covers both readings. That makes this N4 form the place where "force" and "permission" meet in a single conjugation.¹

Overview

Where the causative sits in the verb system

The causative form expresses that "A (the subject) makes or lets an agent (X) do a certain action (Y)."¹ It is built from one of two regular auxiliary verbs, ～せる and ～させる. These attach to the 未然形 (the "incomplete" verb stem that the negative and passive also use).¹²

Both auxiliaries themselves conjugate as 一段 (ichidan, ru-) verbs. So once a causative verb is formed, it is always a ru-verb.¹² Once you have 食べさせる or 行かせる, you conjugate it like any other 一段 verb: 食べさせない, 食べさせます, 食べさせた.²

Japanese does not use separate verbs the way English uses "make" or "let." The single causative form carries both readings, and 作る is never used for this function.¹

The causative auxiliary ～せる/させる belongs to the same family as the passive ～れる/られる. Both are 一段-conjugating auxiliaries that attach to the 未然形. They can also stack together to build the causative-passive ～せられる/させられる.¹

The causative is one node in a larger voice system

Because ～せる/させる and the passive ～れる/られる conjugate and attach the same way, learning the causative cleanly is also groundwork for the passive and for the causative-passive that combines them.¹

A note on origins

The modern ～せる/させる continue the work of the Classical Japanese causative auxiliaries す and さす. Like their modern descendants, the classical forms attached to the 未然形.³

In Classical Japanese, the parallel auxiliaries す, さす, and しむ all carried causative meaning. They differed in which verbs they attached to: す followed あ-row sounds, さす attached elsewhere, and しむ was universal. The same auxiliaries later took on honorific uses as well.³

The causer–causee frame

The basic skeleton is causer は ... causee に/を ... Verb-causative. The causer (the one who makes or lets) is the sentence topic. The causee (the one who actually performs the action) is marked by に or を, depending on transitivity and nuance.⁴⁵

The doer of the action is marked by に or を, never by が.⁴

母ははは私わたしに自分じぶんの部屋へやを片付かたづけさせた。⁶
"My mother made me clean up my own room."

この仕事しごとは部下ぶかにやらせます。⁶
"I'll have one of my subordinates do this task."

その部長ぶちょうは、よく長時間ちょうじかん働はたらかせる。²
"That manager often makes people work long hours."

Forming the causative

Conjugation depends on verb class, just like the negative and the passive. The diagram below shows which auxiliary each class takes.

一段 (ru-verbs): drop る, add させる

Remove the final る and add させる.⁷² 一段 verbs always take the させる form.¹

• 食べる → 食べさせる⁷
• 見る → 見させる⁴

息子むすこはアニメを見みたがっていますが、宿題しゅくだいが終おわっていないので、見みさせません。⁶
"My son wants to watch anime, but he hasn't finished his homework, so I won't let him watch it."

五段 (u-verbs): shift to the あ-row, add せる

Change the final kana to its あ-row counterpart in the same consonant column, then add せる.⁴¹

• 行く → 行かせる; 読む → 読ませる; 立つ → 立たせる.⁷

Verbs ending in う have one trap: they take わ, not あ.⁷⁵ This is the same う→わ stem that the negative and the passive use.²

• 買う → 買わせる; 言う → 言わせる.⁷⁵

君きみを泣なかせるつもりはなかった！⁶
"I didn't mean to make you cry!"

弟おとうとにゴミを出ださせる。¹
"I make my younger brother take out the trash."

Irregulars: する→させる, 来る→こさせる

The two irregular verbs have fixed causative forms.

• する → させる.⁴⁶²
• 来る → こさせる, read kosaseru, not kisaseru.⁴⁶²

Compound する-verbs follow する: 勉強する → 勉強させる, 自己紹介する → 自己紹介させる.⁸ The semi-irregular やる behaves like a 五段 verb: やる → やらせる.⁶

その仕事しごと、私わたしにやらせてもらえますか？⁸
"Will you let me do that work?"

The short causative: -す and さす

A contracted causative also exists alongside the full form. For 五段 verbs, the せる reduces to す; for 一段 verbs, させる reduces to さす.⁷²⁸⁵

• 五段: あ-row stem + す, as in 行かせる → 行かす, 泣かせる → 泣かす.⁸⁵
• 一段: stem + さす, as in 食べさせる → 食べさす.⁷²

This short form is colloquial and is not usually taught in textbooks. Maggie Sensei notes it is used "quite often in conversation," even though textbooks skip it.⁸ The related reduction of させて → さして and せて → して appears the same way in casual speech, as in 帰らしてくれない?.⁵

The short -す/さす form is colloquial and Kansai-leaning

The short causative is associated with western Japanese and Kansai speech; the Osaka-dialect record documents 五段 contractions like 泣かす and notes that Kansai speakers extend the short form to 一段 verbs as well.⁹ Recognize it when you hear it, but write the full せる/させる form.⁸⁹

This same contraction leads into the causative-passive. The せる→す squeeze you hear here is the same kind of reduction that later contracts 行かせられる into 行かされる.

子供こどもにバナナを食たべさした。⁸
"I fed my child a banana." (literally "made my child eat a banana")

Make versus let: the central ambiguity

Why one form covers both

Japanese has no separate lexical verbs for "make" and "let." The single causative form expresses both. Particle choice, context, and the will of the causee resolve the reading.⁷¹¹⁰

As Tae Kim puts it, a verb in the causative form can mean either making or letting someone do something, with context doing the disambiguating.²

Coercive readings ("make")

The "make" or "force" reading dominates when the causer's will overrides the causee's. It also appears when the causee is unwilling or has no independent will, such as when an emotion is being induced.⁷¹

An adverb of compulsion such as 無理やり ("forcibly") locks in the coercive reading.⁴

友達ともだちを無理むりやりお化ばけ屋敷やしきに行いかせたから、怒おこられた。⁴
"I got told off because I forced my friend to go into the haunted house."

お兄にいちゃんが妹いもうとを泣なかせた。⁴
"The older brother made his younger sister cry."

Permissive readings ("let")

The "let" or "allow" reading appears when the causee has and exercises their own will. This reading is especially strong when the causative combines with a giving-and-receiving (benefactive) auxiliary. 〜させてあげる and 〜させてくれる lean toward "let," and 〜させてもらう leans toward "have or get the favor of being allowed."⁷²

Tae Kim notes that when the causative is used with あげる and くれる, it almost always means to let someone do something.²

今日きょうは仕事しごとを休やすませてください。²
"Please let me take the day off work today."

僕ぼくにやらせてください。⁶
"Please let me do it."

The を / に particle pattern

Transitive verbs: causee takes に (を is taken by the object)

A clause can have only one を. With a transitive verb, the direct object already takes を, so the causee must take に.¹¹⁰⁵ As Tofugu puts it, because the object takes を, only に is left over to mark the actor.⁷

母ははは私わたしに自分じぶんの部屋へやを片付かたづけさせた。⁶
"My mother made me clean up my own room."

先生せんせいは私わたしに論文ろんぶんを書かかせた。⁵
"The teacher made me write a paper."

Intransitive verbs: を for force, に for permission

With an intransitive verb, there is no object competing for を. The causee can be marked with either particle, and the choice carries nuance.¹¹⁰

Particle on the causee	Nuance	Will of the causee
を	"make / force"	only the causer has will710
に	"let / allow"	the causee is recognized as having their own will410

Wasabi states the logic directly: if the doer has will, に is suitable and indicates "to let"; if only the direction-giver has will, を is used and indicates "to make."¹⁰ Bunpro compresses the same split into "に suggests 'letting' while を suggests 'making.'"⁴

Emotion-inducing intransitives are a clear case for を, because the causee cannot choose the feeling.⁵

公園こうえんで子供こどもを遊あそばせる。⁵
"(I) let or make the child play in the park."

親おやを心配しんぱいさせないでください。⁵
"Please don't worry your parents."

The force-versus-permission split is a nuance dial, not a hard rule

Native speakers accept either particle on an intransitive causative and read the intended meaning from context. Treat を/に as a way to color the sentence, not as a test you must pass.¹¹⁰

When に simply wins in speech

In practice, conversational Japanese tends to mark the causee with に regardless of the force-or-permission nuance. One reason is that many real causative sentences also contain an object, which forces に anyway.¹¹⁰

Because the one-を-per-clause constraint pushes the causee onto に in every transitive sentence, に is the statistically dominant causee marker. The を option is the marked, force-emphasizing choice reserved for intransitive verbs.¹¹⁰

Nuance and usage contexts

Asking permission about yourself: させてください / させてもらう

To ask permission to do something yourself, attach the causative て-form to a request or benefactive auxiliary.

• 〜させてください = "please let me ..." (a direct polite request).²
• 〜させてもらえますか / 〜させてもらえませんか = "may I be allowed to ...?" (softer, asking the listener for the favor).⁸
• 〜させていただきます / 〜させていただけますか = the humble register of the same idiom.⁸

These line up as a politeness ladder: 〜させて (casual) < 〜させてください < 〜させてもらえますか < 〜させていただけますか.⁸

私わたしに海外かいがい出張しゅっちょうへ行いかせてください。⁸
"Please let me go on the overseas business trip."

それでは、ちょっと自己紹介じこしょうかいさせてもらいます。⁷
"Well then, allow me to introduce myself briefly."

その仕事しごと、私わたしにやらせてもらえますか？⁸
"Would you let me handle that job?"

Emotional and "induce a feeling" causatives

The causative is the regular, productive way to say "cause someone to feel X." It is built on emotion verbs: 泣く → 泣かせる ("make cry"), 怒る → 怒らせる ("make angry"), 喜ぶ → 喜ばせる ("make glad"), 困る → 困らせる ("trouble"), 心配する → 心配させる ("worry"), 安心する → 安心させる ("reassure"), がっかりする → がっかりさせる ("disappoint").⁸⁵

Because the causee does not choose to feel the emotion, these take を for the causee.⁵

The three examples below are quoted as subordinate clauses, not full standalone sentences, but each shows the emotion-causative form in natural use.

彼女かのじょを怒おこらせたら怖こわいから。⁸
"Because it's scary if you make her angry."

泣なかせてごめんね。⁸
"Sorry for making you cry."

母ははをまたがっかりさせたくないから。⁸
"Because I don't want to disappoint my mother again."

Register and softening

The bare causative can sound heavy or domineering because its default reading skews toward "make" or "force." Speakers often soften it.⁷¹

The benefactive frame 〜させてもらう / 〜させていただく presents a self-directed action as a favor granted by the listener. This is much more polite and humble than a plain statement.⁸

Reach for 〜させていただく to announce your own actions humbly

〜させていただく is the standard humble-business register for announcing something you are about to do. It is the formal sibling of the casual 〜させて / 〜させてもらう and the polite 〜させてください.⁸

When a verb already has a lexical transitive counterpart, Japanese normally prefers that transitive verb; using the causative instead foregrounds "I caused it" and can read as forceful or marked.⁵

Good to know

Causative vs. lexical transitive: pick the right tool

Many intransitive verbs have a paired lexical transitive: 起きる ("wake up," intransitive) alongside 起こす ("wake someone"). When a true transitive pair exists, prefer it. The causative of the intransitive sounds marked or forceful.⁵

To say a neutral "I woke my friend up," use 起こす, not 起きさせる. 起こす already means "wake someone," so 起きさせる layers on an unneeded "made him wake up" coercion. Use the causative only when you specifically mean "cause to."⁵ Bunpro attests the natural lexical transitive 起こす alongside a causative in one sentence.⁴

友達ともだちを朝あさ４時よじに起おこして、帰かえらせた。⁴
"I woke my friend up at four in the morning and made him go home."

The double-を trap

Learners often try to mark both the object and the causee with を. But a clause permits only one を, so the person takes に instead.¹¹⁰

The wrong shape is 母は弟を薬を飲ませた, with を on both 弟 and 薬. Because 薬 (the object) takes を, and only one を is allowed per clause, the causee, 弟, must take に. The corrected form is below; it is shown as a rule demonstration rather than a cited sentence.

母ははは弟おとうとに薬くすりを飲のませた。
"My mother made my younger brother take his medicine."

こさせる, not 来させる read as きさせる

The causative of 来る is こさせる (ko-), not kisaseru (ki-). The kanji 来 hides the reading shift. The same pattern appears in the passive こられる and the negative こない.⁴⁶²

来る's 未然形 stem is こ-, so every auxiliary attached to 来る uses こ-: negative こない, passive こられる, causative こさせる.⁶² Read the written 来させる as こさせる, never as きさせる.

Short -す/さす is dialectal, not lazy

The contracted forms 行かせる → 行かす and 食べさせる → 食べさす are colloquial and Kansai-leaning, not learner errors.⁸⁹ Recognize it in speech, but write the full せる/させる form in formal contexts.⁸⁹

A handy mnemonic: the same せる→す squeeze you hear here later contracts the causative-passive (行かせられる → 行かされる). Spotting it now sets up that next form.

See also

• Causative-Passive Form (使役受身): "Was Made to Do" with ～させられる
• Passive Voice (受身形): Direct and Indirect Passives
• Potential Form: ～られる, ～える, できる
• Spontaneous Voice (自発): Happens by Itself
• Sonkeigo via the Passive Form (～られる): The Respectful Use of れる・られる
• Transitivity Pairs in Japanese (自他動詞): Intransitive vs. Transitive

References

Footnotes

1. Imabi. "The Causative I: ～させる & ～せる." https://imabi.org/the-causative-i-%EF%BD%9E%E3%81%95%E3%81%9B%E3%82%8B-%EF%BD%9E%E3%81%9B%E3%82%8B/ (limitation) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰

2. Tae Kim. "Causative and Passive Verbs." Tae Kim's Guide to Learning Japanese. https://guidetojapanese.org/learn/grammar/causepass (limitation) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷

3. ほほえまし (hohoemashi.com). "す・さす・しむ 助動詞 ―もともとは『使役』のちに『尊敬』の用法が多くなる―." Classical-grammar reference. https://hohoemashi.com/su-sasu-shimu/ ↩ ↩²

4. Bunpro. "Verb［せる・させる］(JLPT N4)." Grammar reference. https://bunpro.jp/grammar_points/causative ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴

5. Japanistry. "Japanese Conjugations: The Causative (させる)." https://www.japanistry.com/the-causative/ (limitation) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶

6. JLPTsensei.com. "JLPT N4 Grammar: させる (saseru) Causative Form Meaning." https://jlptsensei.com/learn-japanese-grammar/%E3%81%95%E3%81%9B%E3%82%8B-saseru-causative-form-meaning/ ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹

7. Tofugu (Kanae Nakamura). "Japanese Verb Causative Form させる." https://www.tofugu.com/japanese-grammar/verb-causative-form-saseru/ (limitation) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴

8. Maggie Sensei. "New! How to use Causative Form (使役形 = しえきけい = shiekikei)." https://maggiesensei.com/2023/01/17/new-how-to-use-causative-form-%E4%BD%BF%E5%BD%B9%E5%BD%A2-%E3%81%97%E3%81%88%E3%81%8D%E3%81%91%E3%81%84-shiekikei/ (limitation) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰

9. 大阪弁/使役. Wikibooks (Japanese). https://ja.wikibooks.org/wiki/%E5%A4%A7%E9%98%AA%E5%BC%81/%E4%BD%BF%E5%BD%B9 (limitation) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

10. Wasabi. "Japanese Causative Form with the Particle に and を." https://wasabi-jpn.com/magazine/japanese-grammar/japanese-causative-form/ (limitation; used for rules only, not for verbatim examples) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰