If you study Japanese, you will run into "rareru" again and again.
And that is exactly why it becomes confusing.
The form looks the same, but the meaning is not always the same.
Compare these sentences:
"先生にほめられました。"
"I was praised by my teacher."
"日曜日なら来られます。"
"I can come on Sunday."
"昔のことが思い出されます。"
"Old memories come back to me."
"社長はもう帰られました。"
"The company president has already gone home."
They all use "rareru," but the role is different in each sentence.
It may express passive, potential, spontaneous feeling, or honorific respect. If you do not separate these clearly, grammar questions start to feel like guesswork. Reading becomes unstable, and speaking becomes harder too.
The good news is that "rareru" becomes much easier once you organize it by meaning.
In this article, we will sort out the four main meanings of "rareru" all at once and show you practical ways to tell them apart.
The Basic Idea: Divide "rareru" Into 4 Meanings
When you see "rareru," first consider these four possibilities:
- Passive
- Potential
- Spontaneous
- Honorific
If you try to remember them all as one big pattern, they will get mixed together very quickly.
The key is to look at three things:
- Who is the subject?
- Is there someone doing the action?
- Does the sentence mean "be done to," "be able to," "naturally feel," or "show respect"?
The form may be the same, but the viewpoint of the sentence changes the meaning.
1. Passive "rareru"
The passive use means that someone receives an action from another person or source.
Examples
- 私は先生にほめられました。
- 弟は母にしかられました。
- その絵は多くの人に愛されています。
In this use, the subject is the one affected by the action.
Someone else performs the action, and the subject receives it.
How to Recognize It
In passive sentences, you often see "に" marking the doer of the action.
- 先生にほめられる
- 母にしかられる
- 友だちに呼ばれる
That "に" is often a strong clue.
Image to Remember
Passive "rareru" feels like something comes from outside.
Someone does something
→ the subject receives it
If you see that flow, passive is a strong possibility.
2. Potential "rareru"
The potential use means "can" or "be able to."
Examples
- 日曜日なら来られます。
- この漢字はまだ読まれません。
- 忙しくても、少しなら食べられます。
Here, the point is not that someone does something to you.
The point is whether the subject has the ability or possibility to do it.
How to Recognize It
Potential "rareru" can often be rephrased as "can" or "be able to."
- 来られます
- 食べられます
- 見られます
For example:
- 明日は来られます。
- 明日は来ることができます。
If this replacement sounds natural, it is probably the potential meaning.
A Small Hint
In potential sentences, the object often appears with "が" rather than "を."
- 漢字が読める
- 魚が食べられる
- 日本語が話せる
There is variation in real conversation, but if the main idea is ability or possibility, think potential first.
Image to Remember
Potential "rareru" feels like a door opening.
Cannot do it
→ can do it
The focus is on the subject's ability or condition, not on receiving an outside action.
3. Spontaneous "rareru"
The spontaneous use expresses something that comes naturally to the mind or heart.
For many learners, this is the hardest one to notice, but it appears often in reading.
Examples
- 故郷のことが思い出されます。
- 将来のことが案じられます。
- その映画を見ると、人生の大切さが感じられます。
In this use, the speaker is not intentionally doing something in a strong, active way.
Instead, a memory, feeling, or thought comes naturally.
How to Recognize It
This use often appears with words related to thought and feeling, such as:
- 思い出される
- 感じられる
- 案じられる
- 偲ばれる
The nuance is not "I intentionally do this," but "this naturally comes to mind" or "I cannot help feeling this."
Image to Remember
Spontaneous "rareru" feels like something rises naturally inside you.
You are not forcing it.
The feeling or memory appears on its own.
That is what makes it different from passive and potential.
4. Honorific "rareru"
The honorific use raises the other person's action politely.
Examples
- 先生はもう帰られました。
- 社長は明日大阪へ行かれます。
- お客様は何時ごろ来られますか。
Here, "rareru" is not passive and not potential.
It is used to show respect for the subject.
How to Recognize It
Honorific "rareru" often has an important or respected person as the subject.
- 先生
- 社長
- 部長
- お客様
And that person is performing the action.
- 先生が帰られる
- 社長が話される
- お客様が来られる
Nobody is doing the action to them.
The sentence is simply expressing their action respectfully.
Image to Remember
Honorific "rareru" is less about the action itself and more about social relationship.
To judge it, ask not only "what is happening?" but also "who is this sentence talking about?"
A Simple Way to Tell the 4 Meanings Apart
When you see "rareru," check in this order.
1. Is the subject someone respected?
If the subject is a teacher, company president, customer, or another respected person, and the sentence is describing their action politely, it may be honorific.
- 先生は来られました。
- 社長が話されました。
2. Can it be replaced with "can" or "be able to"?
If yes, it is probably potential.
- 明日は来られます。
- この字は読まれます。
3. Is the subject receiving an action from someone?
If yes, it is passive.
- 先生にほめられた
- 母に起こされた
4. Does it express a feeling or thought that comes naturally?
If yes, it is spontaneous.
- 昔のことが思い出される
- 不安が感じられる
Where Learners Often Get Confused
Passive and Potential Can Look Very Similar
Take "見られる" as an example.
- 犬に見られた。
- 富士山が見られる。
In the first sentence, it is passive.
The dog looked at me.
In the second sentence, it is potential.
You can see Mt. Fuji.
The form is the same, so you must look at what is happening in the sentence.
Honorific and Passive Can Also Be Confusing
- 社長は新聞を読まれました。
This is honorific.
The sentence respectfully says that the company president read the newspaper.
But in:
- 社長は部下にほめられました。
This is passive.
The subordinate praised the company president.
So you need to check who the subject is, whether "に" shows the doer, and who is actually performing the action.
Spontaneous Is Hard If You Only Memorize the Label
The term "spontaneous" can sound abstract.
But it becomes much clearer if you think of it as:
"It comes naturally to mind."
"I cannot help feeling it."
- 春になると、学生時代が思い出されます。
- この写真を見ると、家族のありがたさが感じられます。
The speaker is not forcing the memory or feeling. It appears naturally.
That is spontaneous "rareru."
A Simple Memory Trick
You can remember the four meanings like this:
- Passive: be done to
- Potential: can do
- Spontaneous: naturally feel or think
- Honorific: respectfully say someone does something
If you can paraphrase the meaning this way, your understanding becomes much more stable.
Do not judge only by form.
Try to restate the meaning in simple words.
That habit makes grammar much easier.
Final Thoughts
"rareru" is one of the biggest points of confusion for Japanese learners.
But the real problem is not that the grammar itself is impossible.
The problem is that one form covers several different meanings.
So when you see it, check these four points:
- Is someone receiving an action?
- Does it mean "can do"?
- Does it express a natural feeling or memory?
- Is it raising the action of a respected person?
If you check them in order, "rareru" becomes much easier to organize.
Good grammar study is not about memorizing one form as one meaning. It is about separating similar-looking patterns clearly.
Once the four meanings of "rareru" become clear, your reading, grammar judgment, and speaking all become much steadier.
If you want to practice confusing grammar points like this with examples and questions, try RJT. It helps you move beyond vague understanding and build real control over Japanese grammar.
