Lesson 17
In this lesson, we will learn an expression that means “in order to”, “for”, or “for the sake of”. The keyword in the expression is 위하다.
위하다 means “to put forth the effort for something/someone” or “to do something to benefit someone”, but it is rarely used as is without being changed to another form.
위해 = 위해서 = in order to/for
위하다 is rarely used in its dictionary form, and it is changed to forms such as “위해” or “위해서” to mean “in order to”, “in order for”, or “for the sake of”.
위해 = 위하여
위해서 = 위하여서
There will be times when you encounter 위하여 rather than 위해. 위하여 is the original conjugation, but in everyday language, 위하여 is shortened to 위해 (both in written and spoken languages) for the ease of pronunciation.
Using 위해/위해서 with nouns
Noun + -을/를 위해(서)
= in order for + noun = for the sake of + noun
Ex)
건강을 위해서
= for health; for the sake of health; in order to be healthy
회사를 위해서
= for the company; for the good of the company
Using 위해/위해서 with verbs
Verb stem + -기 위해(서)
Ex)
한국에 가기 위해서
= in order to go to Korea
일본어를 배우기 위해서
= in order to learn Japanese
* Please note that using 위해(서) in a sentence makes it sound very formal.
You will hear/see this a lot in song lyrics, books, and new articles, but not in casual, spoken conversations.
Sample Sentences
슈퍼맨은 세계 평화를 위해서 일해요.
= Superman works for world peace.
저는 한국에 가기 위해서 열심히 공부했어요.
= I studied hard in order to go to Korea.
부모님을 위해서 돈을 모았어요.
= I saved up money for my parents.
건강을 위해서 매일 운동하고 있어요.
= I am exercising every day for my health.