Components

Grammar detail: verb causative form

verb causative form  make something happen
262 words
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The causative form of a verb means to make the verb happen.
For ichidan (る) verbs, the causative is formed by replacing the る with させる:
べる to eat ➜
べさせる make eat
For godan (う) verbs, the causative is formed by replacing the last sound (containing the う) with the equivalent あ sound, and adding せる:
う to buy ➜
わせる to make buy (note the use of わ)
く to listen ➜
かせる to make listen
はな
す to speak ➜
はな
させる to make speak
つ to wait ➜
たせる to make wait
ぬ to die ➜
なせる to make die
あそ
ぶ to play ➜
あそ
ばせる to make play
む to read ➜
ませる to make read
はじ
まる to begin ➜
はじ
まらせる to make begin
As usual する and くる are irregular:
する (do) ➜ させる (make do)
くる (come) ➜ こさせる (make come)
Set phrases using the causative
The causative of 'wait',
たせる, is the root of the expression お待たせしました, which is used to mean 'sorry for keeping you waiting', but literally actually only means 'I made you wait'.
The causative in te form is very commonly combined with a request form such as ください or くれ as a way to mean 'let me ~'. For example, 考えさせてください means 'let me think' (literally, 'please make me think').
わたし
そのゲームさせてください
Please let me try the game.
わたし
それさせてください
Let me do it.
This approach is taken even further in polite Japanese - for more on that, see 〜させていただきます  (humble + polite) do.
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Kanji used in this grammar

ショク   ジキ    food   たべる to eat   く to eat   
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バイ   か to buy   
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ブン   モン   き to listen, to hear   きこえる to be heard   
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ワ   はな to talk   はなし talking   
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タイ   ま to wait   
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シ   death   し die   
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ユ   ユウ   あそ play   
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ドク   トク   トウ   よ to read   
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シ   はじめる to begin, to start (something)   はじまる to begin, to commence   
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コウ   かんがえる to think about, consider   
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シ   わたくし    わたし I, myself   
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