(으)로 vs (으)러 vs (으)려고

How are they different “(으)로, (으)러 and  (으)려고”?

📘 1) ~(으)로 [ ~(eu)ro ] — direction, means, method, material, Purpose, or role

Meaning
“~로” mainly indicates where something is headed, how something is done, what materials are used, or what role or purpose something has.
When used to show purpose, it must follow a noun, not a verb.

Form

• Noun + 로

-      Noun ending in Vowel or ㄹ Batchim + 로

-      Noun ending in Batchim except for ㄹ + 으로

Key Uses

1. Direction: toward a place

2. Means: by bus, by taxi

3. Method: in Korean, in English

4. Material: made of wood, made of silver

5. Purpose (noun only): for a gift, for lunch

6. Role: as a nurse, as a contents creator

Examples

• 내일 집으로 가요. = I go to home tomorrow.

• 시청까지 지하철로 갈 수 있어요. = You can go to the city hall by subway.

• 한국어로 말해요. = Let’s speak in Korean.

• 이 테이블은 나무로 만들었어요. = This table is made of wood.

• 학생에게 약과를 선물로 줬어요. = I gave my student Yakgua as a gift.

• 소현 씨는 콘텐츠 크리에이터로 일해요. Sohyun works as a contents creator.

📘 2) ~(으)러 [ ~(eu)reo ] — purpose of movement (only with movement verbs)

Meaning
“~(으)러” expresses the specific action you are going somewhere to do.
It always implies physical movement with a clear purpose.

Form

• Verb stem + (으)러

-      Verb stem ending in Vowel or ㄹ Batchim + 러

-      Verb stem ending in Batchim except for ㄹ + 으러

• Only works with movement verbs such as

• 가다 (to go)

• 오다 (to come)

• 다니다 (to frequent)

• 들어가다 (to go in)

• 나가다 (to go out)

Restrictions

• Cannot be used without a movement verb.

• Describes purpose of an action, not intention or planning.

Examples

• 점심 먹으러 가요. = Let’s go to eat lunch.

• 지민이는 친구를 만나러 나갔어요 = Jimin went out to meet a friend.

• 운동하러 헬스장에 가요. = I go to the gym to exercise.

📘 3) ~(으)려고 [ ~(eu)ryeogo ] — intention, plan, or purpose

Meaning
“~려고” expresses a plan, intention, or purpose, whether or not movement is involved.
It has the widest usage among the three.

Form

• Verb stem + (으)려고

-      Verb stem ending in Vowel or ㄹ batchim + 려고

-      Verb stem ending in Batchim except for ㄹ + 으려고

Key Points

• Shows intention: SUBJECT intend to…

• Shows purpose: in order to…

• Can be used for intention, plans, efforts, or goals, not only with physical movement.

• Can appear with or without movement verbs.

Examples

• 저는 책을 많이 읽으려고 노력해요. = I try to read a lot of books.

• 강아지가 신발을 물려고 해요. = The puppy intends to bite shoes.

• 닉 씨는 한국어를 배우려고 해요. = Nick is planning to learn Korean.

• 영화 보려고 극장에 갔어요. = I went to the cinema in order to watch a movie.