-고자
-goja
in order to; with the intention of
A formal connective attached to a verb stem to state that the speaker has a certain purpose, intention, or hope in mind; mostly used in writing or formal speech.
Form
- Attaches to
- Verb, Auxiliary
Meanings
- 1
A connective ending used when the speaker has a certain purpose, intention, hope, etc.
말하는 사람이 어떤 목적이나 의도, 희망 등을 가지고 있음을 나타내는 연결 어미.
※ ‘있다', '없다', '계시다’, 동사 또는 ‘-으시-’ 뒤에 붙여 쓴다.
Examples
할아버지는 아들 집에 오랫동안 계시고자 했다.
Grandfather wanted to stay at his son's house for a long time.
사람들은 누구나 맛있고 몸에 좋은 음식을 먹고자 한다.
Everyone wants to eat food that's both delicious and healthy.
남에게 존중을 받고자 한다면 먼저 상대방을 존중해야 한다.
If you want to be respected by others, you must first respect them.
민준이는 친구에게 어려움이 생겼을 때마다 해결해 주고자 애를 쓴다.
Whenever his friends run into trouble, Minjun makes an effort to help solve it.
여행을 가려고 하는데 뭐부터 준비해야 될까?
I'm planning to go on a trip -- what should I prepare first?
일단 가고자 하는 곳에 대해서 여러 가지를 알아봐야 하지 않을까?
Shouldn't you first look into various things about the place you intend to go?
Examples: 한국어기초사전, CC BY-SA 2.0 KR.
Don’t confuse with
Forms with a close meaning — a favourite source of wrong answers on TOPIK.
Quick check
1. What does ‘-고자’ mean?
2. Which form means “in order to; with the intention of”?