受動的
judōteki[d͡ʑɨdo̞ːte̞kʲi]
The English word passive translates to Japanese as 受動的 (judōteki). Wiktionary also lists 受け身 (ukemi).
Meaning: not active, but acted upon (adj)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 受動的 | judōteki | [d͡ʑɨdo̞ːte̞kʲi] (narrow) |
| 受け身 | ukemi | [ɯ̟ke̞mʲi] (narrow) |
受動的 is used to describe something that is not active but is instead acted upon. The term 受け身 is commonly used to describe a person's attitude or to refer to a grammatical state, such as the passive voice in linguistics.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 受動的 is composed of 受 (receive), 動 (movement) and the suffix 的 (meaning '-like' or '-al'), literally meaning 'receiving-movement-like'.
Which one should you use?
受動的 is used for abstract concepts or scientific and technical descriptions of being passive. In contrast, 受け身 is more commonly used to describe a person's attitude or a grammatical state.
How do you pronounce it?
judōteki
Did you know?
- In Japanese grammar, the passive voice is often called 'the suffering passive' because it implies the subject was negatively affected by an action.
- In martial arts, the term 受け身 (ukemi) refers to the specific technique of 'falling safely' to minimize injury.
- In Japanese, you can use the passive voice for intransitive verbs, such as 'to rain', to describe how an event affected you, which is grammatically impossible in English.
Examples in context
- 公式問題集には"受け身の現在進行形"と説明されています。In the official question collection it is explained as being "passive voice of the present continuous tense".This sentence is useful for seeing how 受け身 is used to describe a grammatical state in a textbook context.Tatoeba #75078 by fcbond, translation #328641 by fcbond
- あの人はいつも受け身に回っているから本音は何か見当がつかない。That person is always showing a passive attitude, so I have no clue what his true nature really is.This sentence shows how 受け身 can describe a person's attitude.Tatoeba #8923754 by stoise, translation #9982990 by tsp_2
- 彼に本を読ませられた。I was made to read a book by him.
- 日本語が話される国に行きたい。I want to go to a country where Japanese is spoken.
Example conversation
Two colleagues are discussing a new team member during a coffee break.
- 大翔 Hiroto新しいメンバーは、自分から動かないね。Atarashii menbaa wa, jibun kara ugokanai ne.The new member doesn't take initiative, does he?
- 美咲 Misakiそうね、少し受動的すぎる気がするわ。Sou ne, sukoshi judouteki sugiru ki ga suru wa.You're right, I feel like he is a bit too passive.
- 大翔 Hirotoもっと積極的に意見を言ってほしいな。Motto sekkyokuteki ni iken o itte hoshii na.I wish he would express his opinions more actively.
- 美咲 Misaki少しずつ慣れてくれるといいんだけど。Sukoshizutsu narete kureru to ii ndakedo.I hope he gets used to things little by little.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “passive” translations and entries 受動的, 受け身, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
