This grammar makes someone do something. It can also let someone do something. It is a more casual way to say 〜させる (saseru).
Verb [ない-form, drop い] + さすPrimary
This grammar makes someone do something. It can also let someone do something. It is a more casual way to say 〜させる (saseru).
子供に嫌いな野菜を食べさすのは、本当に骨が折れる。
Making a child eat vegetables they dislike is really hard work.
部長は昨日、俺を夜遅くまで残業さした。
The department head made me work overtime late into the night yesterday.
自分の失敗の責任を他人に負わすな！
Don't make others take responsibility for your own failures!
彼を笑わすために言った冗談が、逆に彼を傷つけてしまった。
The joke I told to make him laugh ended up hurting his feelings instead.
幼い頃、よく兄をからかって泣かしたものです。
When I was little, I often used to tease my older brother and make him cry.
Sometimes, '〜さす' just sounds better. For example, '泣かす' (nakasu) means 'make cry'. '笑わす' (warawasu) means 'make laugh'. These forms are very common. Also, for verbs like '話す' (hanasu), '話させる' (hanasaseru) has many 's' sounds. So '話さす' (hanasasu) is easier to say. It feels more natural in everyday talk.
This is different from "〜させる" (saseru). "〜させる" is the normal, polite way to say it. "〜さす" is more casual. You use "〜さす" with friends. You use "〜させる" in formal situations. Using "〜さす" formally sounds wrong.
Don't use this when you need to be polite. For example, do not use it with your boss. This form is very casual. Use it only with close friends or family. It sounds very direct. It is not standard Japanese.
Track your mastery
Kumi's KMT system tracks your mastery across kanji, vocabulary, grammar, and reading. Create a free account to use it on 220,000+ concepts.