Practice JLPTHow 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 | 〜られる/〜れる | N4 |
| られる rareru | 〜られる/〜える | N4 |
られる rareru
〜られる/〜れる
Be –ed; get –ed | A state or an action cannot be controlled by someone or something.
-
このビルは二年前に建てられた。
This building was built two years ago.
-
この本は１９６５年にアメリカで 出版された。
This book was published in America in 1965.
られる rareru
〜られる/〜える
An auxiliary verb which indicates potential.
-
この字は読めない。
This letter is not readable.
-
この水は飲めない・飲めません。
This water is not drinkable.
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 — meanings, usage and example sentences — so you can tell them apart.