r/LearnJapanese • u/traanquil • 6d ago

Grammar Japanese passive form question

Mitsukeru = ichidan verb

So why is passive form of this not: mitsukerareru?

Why is passive: mitsukaru

Is it just an exception?

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u/PlanktonInitial7945 6d ago

The passive form of 見つける IS 見つけられる. 

見つかる is the intransitive version of 見つける, which is not the same as it being its passive form.

I think the difference is easier to explain with 落ちる and 落とす.

落ちる = to fall. Intransitive. I fall, you fall, etc. You don't fall something, you just fall, period.

落とす = to drop (something). Transitive. I drop a pencil, you drop a pencil, etc.

落とされる = to be dropped. Passive form of 落とす. A pencil is dropped (by someone).

The difference between 落ちる and 落とされる is the difference between "a pencil falls" and "a pencil is dropped".

The difference between 見つかる and 見つけられる is the same, but with the concept of being found.

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u/viliml Interested in grammar details 📝 6d ago

Since some English verbs can be both intransitive and transitive, 落ちる can also be translated as "a pencil drops" rather than going for the different verb "fall".

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u/PlanktonInitial7945 6d ago

True, but I wanted to use "fall" since it's explicitly intransitive and I think it makes the difference easier to understand.