Vocabulary

Interpersonal Relationship Terms

部長[ぶちょう]① Manager, noun

• 田中さんは部長に褒められました。
• Tanaka-san wa buchou ni homeraremashita.
• Tanaka was praised by the manager.
  

世代[せだい]① Generation, noun

• 若い世代と古い世代の差を感じます。
• Wakai sedai to furui sedai no sa o kanjimasu.
• I feel the gap between the younger and older generations.
  

褒[ほ]めます③ To praise, verb

• 先生に褒められて嬉しかったです。
• Sensei ni homerarete ureshikatta desu.
• I was happy to be praised by the teacher.
  

いじめます④ To bully, verb

• 学校でいじめ問題が深刻です。
• Gakkou de ijime mondai ga shinkoku desu.
• Bullying is a serious problem at school.
  

依頼[いらい]します⑤ To request, verb

• 彼に仕事を依頼しました。
• Kare ni shigoto o irai shimashita.
• I asked him to do the work.
  

叱[しか]ります④ To scold, verb

• 先生に叱られました。
• Sensei ni shikararemashita.
• I was scolded by the teacher.
  

Business-Related Vocabulary

市場[しじょう]⓪ Market, noun

• 新しい市場を開拓しました。
• Atarashii shijou o kaitaku shimashita.
• We developed a new market.
  

調査[ちょうさ]① Investigation, noun

• 市場調査を行いました。
• Shijou chousa o okonaimashita.
• We conducted a market survey.
  

出荷[しゅっか]⓪ Shipment, noun

• 新しい商品が出荷されました。
• Atarashii shouhin ga shukka saremashita.
• The new product was shipped.
  

コストダウン④ Cost reduction, noun

• コストダウンを図っています。
• Kosuto daun o hakatte imasu.
• We are aiming to reduce costs.
  

合弁会社[ごうべんがいしゃ]⑤ Joint venture, noun

• 合弁会社を設立しました。
• Gouben gaisha o setsuritsu shimashita.
• We established a joint venture.
  

生産[せいさん]します⑥ To produce, verb

• 新しい工場で生産を開始しました。
• Atarashii koujou de seisan o kaishi shimashita.
• We started production at the new factory.
  

Daily Expressions

すり① Pickpocket, noun

• すりに財布を盗まれました。
• Suri ni saifu o nusumaremashita.
• My wallet was stolen by a pickpocket.
  

泥棒[どろぼう] Thief, noun

• 泥棒が家に入りました。
• Dorobou ga ie ni hairimashita.
• A thief entered the house.
  

びしょぬれ⓪ Soaked, noun

• 雨でびしょぬれになりました。
• Ame de bishonure ni narimashita.
• I got soaked in the rain.
  

魅力[みりょく]⓪ Charm, noun

• 彼女の魅力に惹かれました。
• Kanojo no miryoku ni hikaremashita.
• I was attracted by her charm.
  

参[まい]りました④ To be impressed, verb

• 彼の頑張りには参りました。
• Kare no ganbari ni wa mairimashita.
• I was impressed by his effort.
  

Common Verbs

噛[か]みます③ To bite, verb

• 犬に手を噛まれました。
• Inu ni te o kamaremashita.
• My hand was bitten by a dog.
  

誘[さそ]います④ To invite, verb

• 友達にパーティーに誘われました。
• Tomodachi ni paatii ni sasowaremashita.
• I was invited to a party by a friend.
  

巻[ま]き込[こ]みます⑤ To involve, verb

• 事件に巻き込まれました。
• Jiken ni makikomaremashita.
• I was involved in an incident.
  

見[み]つかります⑤ To be found, verb

• 隠していたことが見つかりました。
• Kakushite ita koto ga mitsukarimashita.
• What I was hiding was discovered.
  

図[はか]ります④ To aim for, verb

• 新しい方法を図っています。
• Atarashii houhou o hakatte imasu.
• We are aiming for a new method.
  

盗[ぬす]みます④ To steal, verb

• 財布を盗まれました。
• Saifu o nusumaremashita.
• My wallet was stolen.
  

Grammar Focus

Key Point: Forms and Usage of the Passive Voice

1. Rules for Passive Verb Conjugation

Type	Conjugation Rule	Example
Group 1 Verbs	Replace "nai" in "nai form" with "reru"	急ぐ→急がれる
Group 2 Verbs	Replace "nai" in "nai form" with "rareru"	食べる→食べられる
Group 3 Verbs	Irregular changes	する→される 来る→来られる

2. Four Uses of Passive Sentences

Type	Particle Usage	Meaning
Direct Passive	に indicates the doer	Directly affected by the action
Possessive Suffering	は (subject) を (part)	Affects belongings or body parts
Indirect Passive	に indicates the source	Indirectly affected or troubled
Objective Passive	によって indicates the source	Used for creations, inventions, etc.

Dialogue Practice

Workplace Scenario

A：田中さんは部長に褒められましたか。

A：Tanaka-san wa buchou ni homeraremashita ka.

A：Was Tanaka praised by the manager?

B：はい、新しいプロジェクトで成果を出したので、褒められました。

B：Hai, atarashii purojekuto de seika o dashita node, homeraremashita.

B：Yes, because he achieved results in the new project, he was praised.

Daily Scenario

A：どうして遅れたんですか。

A：Doushite okuretan desu ka.

A：Why were you late?

B：雨に降られて、傘を忘れたので、びしょぬれになってしまいました。

B：Ame ni furarete, kasa o wasureta node, bishonure ni natte shimaimashita.

B：I got caught in the rain, forgot my umbrella, and ended up soaked.

Cultural Knowledge

Workplace Culture

Hierarchical Relationships: In Japanese workplaces, hierarchical relationships are crucial. Praising (褒める) and scolding (叱る) must be done with care regarding the situation and manner of speaking.

Decision-Making: Japanese companies often use collective decision-making, where individual proposals typically require multiple levels of approval.

Social Phenomena

Generational Gap: Japanese society frequently discusses generational gaps (世代の差), especially in workplace communication styles and values.

Bullying Issues: School bullying is a serious social issue in Japan, and both the government and schools have implemented preventive measures.

Summary and Key Points

This lesson focused on the four basic uses of the passive voice, including direct passive, possessive suffering, indirect passive, and objective passive. Through examples in various scenarios, we learned how to apply passive sentences in daily communication. Additionally, we studied important vocabulary related to the workplace and business, as well as unique Japanese social phenomena such as generational gaps and school bullying. Special attention should be paid to the conjugation rules of the passive form and the appropriate use of particles (に、を、によって).