Expression dictionary — full article
Purpose & Intention · in order to; to (do something); for the purpose of
The connective ending V+(으)러 is used to express the purpose or intention behind a movement. It indicates why someone is going or coming to a particular place. This ending is exclusively used with verbs of movement.
-(으)러 attaches to the stem of a verb to show that the action of that verb is the goal or reason for a subsequent movement. The verb that follows -(으)러 must always be a verb of movement such as 가다 (to go), 오다 (to come), 다니다 (to attend/commute), 돌아오다 (to return), 내려가다 (to go down), 올라가다 (to go up), etc.
For example, if you say "커피를 마시러 가다," it means "to go for the purpose of drinking coffee." The act of drinking coffee is the specific reason for going. It cannot be used with descriptive verbs (adjectives) or '이다' (to be).
The choice between -으러 and -러 depends on the final sound of the verb stem:
-(으)러 is very similar in meaning to -(으)려고 (in order to, intending to), but there's a crucial difference:
While sometimes interchangeable in contexts involving movement (e.g., "커피를 마시러 가다" vs. "커피를 마시려고 가다"), -(으)러 is generally more natural and concise when the purpose directly relates to the act of moving. It emphasizes the destination or action at the destination as the reason for the journey.
This ending is commonly encountered in everyday conversation and is a fundamental way to express purpose in Korean.