The Causative Form (使役 / ~させる) — "make" and "let"
Level: JLPT N4 · Focus: verb conjugation & particle choice
The causative lets you say that someone makes or lets another person do something. One form, two meanings — and the difference between "make" and "let" is exactly where learners stumble. The good news: the conjugation is very close to the passive you just learned, and once you know the particle rule, the rest is context. Let's settle in.
What the causative means
母は子供に野菜を食べさせた。 Haha wa kodomo ni yasai o tabesaseta. "The mother made her child eat vegetables." (or, with the right context, "let")
The subject (母) causes someone else (子供) to perform an action. Whether it's forcing or allowing depends on the situation, the verb, and helper phrases — we'll get to that.
How to make the causative form
The ending is built around -aseru / -saseru.
Group 1 (u-verbs / 五段): change the final -u sound to its -a sound, then add せる.
書く → 書かせる — kakaseru
読む → 読ませる — yomaseru
待つ → 待たせる — mataseru
行く → 行かせる — ikaseru
買う → 買わせる — kawaseru
Note: Same as the passive: -う → -わ. 買う → 買わせる.
Group 2 (ru-verbs / 一段): drop る and add させる.
食べる → 食べさせる
見る → 見させる
覚える → 覚えさせる
Irregular verbs:
する → させる
来る（くる） → 来させる（こさせる）
Tip: Quick memory hook: passive = -(r)areru, causative = -(s)aseru. Same shape, different middle sound.
The particle rule (this is the important part)
Which particle marks the person being made/let to act? It depends on whether the main verb is intransitive or transitive.
Intransitive verbs → use を (or に)
Intransitive verbs (no direct object: 行く, 来る, 泣く, 遊ぶ, 立つ) mark the causee with を:
先生は学生を立たせた。 Sensei wa gakusei o tataseta. "The teacher made the students stand up."
母は子供を公園で遊ばせた。 Haha wa kodomo o kōen de asobaseta. "The mother let her child play in the park."
Transitive verbs → use に
Transitive verbs already use を for their object, so the causee is marked with に instead:
先生は学生に漢字を書かせた。 Sensei wa gakusei ni kanji o kakaseta. "The teacher made the students write kanji." (学生 に, 漢字 を)
母は子供に薬を飲ませた。 Haha wa kodomo ni kusuri o nomaseta. "The mother made her child take the medicine."
The shortcut: one を per sentence. If the object already took を, the person takes に.
"Make" vs "Let" — how to tell them apart
Japanese doesn't have two separate words, so you read it from context and helpers.
Coercion (make / force): usually plain causative, often something unpleasant.
親は子供に嫌いな野菜を食べさせた。 Oya wa kodomo ni kirai na yasai o tabesaseta. "The parents made their child eat vegetables they hate."
Permission (let / allow): context of kindness, or paired with ~てあげる / ~てくれる to show the favor:
父は私を留学させてくれた。 Chichi wa watashi o ryūgaku sasete kureta. "My father let me study abroad." (and I'm grateful)
子供に好きなだけ遊ばせてあげた。 Kodomo ni suki na dake asobasete ageta. "I let the child play as much as they wanted."
With intransitive verbs, some speakers also use に (instead of を) to lean toward the "let / allow" nuance, while を leans toward "make." It's subtle — at N4, focus on the transitive-vs-intransitive rule first, and let the "make/let" feeling come from context.
A very useful set phrase: ~させてください
Combine the causative with ください to politely ask for permission to do something yourself:
私にやらせてください。 Watashi ni yarasete kudasai. "Please let me do it."
And the extra-polite business version, causative + ~ていただきます / ~ていただけますか:
資料について説明させていただきます。 Shiryō ni tsuite setsumei sasete itadakimasu. "Allow me to explain the materials." (humble, very common at work)
Common mistakes to watch for
Two を in one sentence: ✗ 学生を漢字を書かせた → ✓ 学生に漢字を書かせた.
Forgetting う→わ: 買う → 買わせる, 手伝う → 手伝わせる.
Mixing up causative and passive: 食べさせる = "make eat"; 食べられる = "be eaten / can eat." Watch the middle sound.
Being too blunt: the plain causative can sound bossy. Softening with ~てあげる / ~てくれる or させてください makes it warm and natural.
Mini practice
Fill in the right particle and causative form.
母は私（ ）部屋（ ）そうじ（そうじする）。 → ?
コーチは選手（ ）10キロ（ ）走（はし）（ ）。 → ?
Ask politely: "Please let me try." → ?
Answers
母は私に部屋をそうじさせた。 (My mother made me clean the room.) — そうじする is transitive → 私 に.
コーチは選手を10キロ走らせた。 (The coach made the athletes run 10 km.) — 走る is intransitive → 選手 を.
やらせてください。／ 挑戦（ちょうせん）させてください。 (Please let me try.)
Wrap-up
Two rules will carry you a long way: one を per sentence (so the causee flips to に with transitive verbs), and let context + helper verbs decide "make" vs "let." Practice with real situations from your own life — what did your parents make you do as a kid? — and it'll stick fast.
Next up: the final piece of the trio, the causative-passive (使役受け身 / ~させられる) — how to say you were forced to do something you didn't want to.
Grammar clicks faster when someone answers your "but why?" questions in real time. I teach relaxed, English-friendly 1-on-1 lessons for exactly this — book a session. — Naoki, cozykotobar
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