When do I use 叫 vs 让 in causative sentences?

Use 叫 when you are ordering, summoning, or instructing someone with authority (e.g., 老板叫我加班). Use 让 when you are allowing, permitting, or politely asking someone to do something (e.g., 妈妈让我回家). 叫 is stronger; 让 is softer.

Can 叫 and 让 both be used for passive voice?

Yes, in colloquial Mandarin both 叫 and 让 are commonly used as passive markers, often interchangeably with 被. For example, '钱包叫小偷偷了' and '钱包让小偷偷了' both mean 'The wallet was stolen by a thief.' They are less formal than 被.

How can I tell if 叫/让 is causative or passive?

Look at the sentence structure. In a causative sentence, the subject (causer) causes another person to perform an action: 'A 叫/让 B + verb'. In a passive sentence, the subject (patient) is affected by an action performed by another: 'Patient 叫/让 Agent + verb'. Context usually makes it clear.

Easily confusedHSK 2

叫 vs 让 (jiào vs ràng): ordering vs allowing, and passive markers

As causative verbs, 叫 (jiào) means 'to order/summon' someone to act, with a stronger, more direct tone, while 让 (ràng) means 'to let/ask' someone to do something, softer and often implying permission. In colloquial Mandarin, both also serve as passive markers (e.g., '杯子叫孩子打碎了'), often interchangeable with one another and with 被. The key is to distinguish their causative use, where word choice reflects the speaker's authority, from their passive use, where they are neutral markers.

叫 and 让 are both used to form causative constructions, but they differ in tone and implication. 叫 typically conveys a direct order, summons, or instruction—it is authoritative. 让 is softer, used for asking, permitting, or allowing. However, in colloquial speech, both words also function as passive markers, equivalent to 被 (bèi) but more informal. In this passive use, the distinction between order and permission disappears, and 叫 and 让 are often interchangeable. The exact meaning (causative or passive) depends on context and sentence structure.

각각 언제 쓰는지

叫jiào

to call / to tell (someone to do something)

Use 叫 when you want to order, summon, or instruct someone to do something directly. It implies authority or a command, e.g., 老板叫我加班 (Boss told me to work overtime). Also used as a colloquial passive marker, especially in northern Mandarin, e.g., 钱包叫小偷偷了 (The wallet was stolen by a thief).

In causative use, 叫 can sound abrupt or demanding; in passive use, it is neutral but less formal than 被.

让ràng

to let / to allow / to ask

Use 让 when you permit, allow, or politely ask someone to do something. It implies giving permission or a gentle request, e.g., 妈妈让我早点回家 (Mom asked me to come home early). Also used as a colloquial passive marker, e.g., 窗户让风吹开了 (The window was blown open by the wind).

In causative use, 让 is softer than 叫 and can also mean 'to make (someone feel a certain way)', e.g., 这个故事让我感动 (This story moved me).

한눈에 보기

	叫	让
Primary meaning (causative)	Order, summon, instruct	Allow, permit, politely ask
Strength/Authority	Strong, direct command	Softer, permission or polite request
Passive marker usage	Yes, colloquial (e.g., 叫别人发现了)	Yes, colloquial (e.g., 让别人发现了)
Formality in passive	Informal (more common in speech)	Informal (more common in speech)
Negation (causative)	不叫 (bú jiào): not order to	不让 (bú ràng): not allow/let

예문

叫
老板叫我明天加班。
Lǎo bǎn jiào wǒ míng tiān jiā bān.
The boss told me to work overtime tomorrow.
Causative 叫 showing a direct order from authority.
让
妈妈让我早点回家。
Mā ma ràng wǒ zǎo diǎn huí jiā.
Mom asked me to come home early.
Causative 让 showing a polite request/permission.
叫
杯子叫孩子打碎了。
Bēi zi jiào hái zi dǎ suì le.
The cup was broken by the child.
Passive 叫, colloquial equivalent of 被.
让
窗户让风吹开了。
Chuāng hu ràng fēng chuī kāi le.
The window was blown open by the wind.
Passive 让, interchangeable with 叫 or 被 here.
叫
别叫我做不想做的事。
Bié jiào wǒ zuò bù xiǎng zuò de shì.
Don't order me to do things I don't want to do.
Causative in negation.
让
请让他进来吧。
Qǐng ràng tā jìn lái ba.
Please let him come in.
Causative 让 for permission.

흔한 실수

Using 让 to order a subordinate (e.g., '老板让我加班' when the boss is giving a direct order) — use 叫 instead.
Using 叫 in a polite request (e.g., '我叫你帮个忙' sounds too direct) — use 让.
Using 让 for a summoning action (e.g., '让医生来' instead of '叫医生来' to call a doctor) — use 叫 for summoning.
Forgetting that 叫 and 让 can function as passive markers, leading to misinterpretation of causative sentences (e.g., '我叫他打了' could mean 'I told him to hit' or 'I was hit by him' depending on context).

자주 묻는 질문

When do I use 叫 vs 让 in causative sentences?: Use 叫 when you are ordering, summoning, or instructing someone with authority (e.g., 老板叫我加班). Use 让 when you are allowing, permitting, or politely asking someone to do something (e.g., 妈妈让我回家). 叫 is stronger; 让 is softer.
Can 叫 and 让 both be used for passive voice?: Yes, in colloquial Mandarin both 叫 and 让 are commonly used as passive markers, often interchangeably with 被. For example, '钱包叫小偷偷了' and '钱包让小偷偷了' both mean 'The wallet was stolen by a thief.' They are less formal than 被.
How can I tell if 叫/让 is causative or passive?: Look at the sentence structure. In a causative sentence, the subject (causer) causes another person to perform an action: 'A 叫/让 B + verb'. In a passive sentence, the subject (patient) is affected by an action performed by another: 'Patient 叫/让 Agent + verb'. Context usually makes it clear.