How to tell them apart
The same られる form carries two distinct roles: passive and potential. Passive describes an action done to a subject by someone else, as in このビルは建てられた (this building was built), where the subject receives the action. Potential describes whether someone or something can perform an action, as in 読めない (cannot read). The key test is agency: if the subject receives an action from another actor, it is passive; if the sentence expresses capability or possibility, it is potential. Swapping them changes the meaning entirely.
- られる Use られる passive when the subject receives an action done by someone else.
- られる Use られる potential when expressing whether an action can be performed.
| Grammar point | Meaning | JLPT level |
|---|---|---|
| られる rareru | passive and potential verb form, can do / be done | N4 |
| られる rareru | passive/potential form | N4 |
られる rareru
passive and potential verb form, can do / be done
られる is the potential and passive form of verbs. It attaches to the verb stem (ichidan verbs) or replaces the final -u of godan verbs with -a + れる (e.g. 食べられる, 建てられる). It can express being able to do something, being acted upon, or a passive event, as in the examples.
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食べられることなくそのたこは、海に帰ったのであった。
That octopus returned to the sea without being eaten.
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来年ここに新しいホテルが建てられるだろう。
A new hotel will be built here next year.
られる rareru
passive/potential form
られる attaches to the mizenkei (negative stem) of verbs and creates either the passive, as in being eaten or built, or the potential, as in being able to go out or eat. Which reading applies depends on the sentence context.
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食べられることなくそのたこは、海に帰ったのであった。
That octopus returned to the sea without being eaten.
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来年ここに新しいホテルが建てられるだろう。
A new hotel will be built here next year.
られる and られる are both JLPT N4 grammar points that Japanese learners often mix up. This page compares them side by side on meanings, usage and example sentences, so you can tell them apart.