KOREAN LEVEL UP › Korean grammar › -에 힘입어
Korean Grammar “-에 힘입어”: Meaning and Usage (TOPIK 6)
How to attach it
This particle does not change: it attaches to every noun in the same way, whatever the last sound is.
| Korean | Meaning | With the particle | Romanization |
|---|---|---|---|
| 나라 | country | 나라에 힘입어 | narae himibeo |
| 음식 | food | 음식에 힘입어 | eumsige himibeo |
| 선물 | gift | 선물에 힘입어 | seonmure himibeo |
Explanation
정부의 지원에 힘입어 중소기업의 수출이 크게 늘었다.
“-에 힘입어” means “thanks to the help/boost of ~” and is common in written style and news, pointing to support or a tailwind that leads to a good result. The sentence means “Backed by government support, exports by small and medium-sized businesses grew significantly.” “-에 반해” (“contrary to ~”) and “-에 앞서” (“prior to ~”) carry no meaning of assistance.
Pronouncing the example sentence
Example sentence: 정부의 지원에 힘입어 중소기업의 수출이 크게 늘었다.
In natural speech, sounds link and shift across words. The table below reads each word separately, as it sounds when said on its own.
| Syllable | Letters (consonant + vowel + final) | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| 정부의 | ||
| 정 | ㅈ+ㅓ+ㅇ | jeong |
| 부 | ㅂ+ㅜ | bu |
| 의 | ㅇ+ㅢ | ui |
| 지원에 | ||
| 지 | ㅈ+ㅣ | ji |
| 원 | ㅇ+ㅝ+ㄴ | [워] wo |
| 에 | ㅇ+ㅔ | [네] ne |
| 힘입어 | ||
| 힘 | ㅎ+ㅣ+ㅁ | [히] hi |
| 입 | ㅇ+ㅣ+ㅂ | [미] mi |
| 어 | ㅇ+ㅓ | [버] beo |
| 중소기업의 | ||
| 중 | ㅈ+ㅜ+ㅇ | jung |
| 소 | ㅅ+ㅗ | so |
| 기 | ㄱ+ㅣ | gi |
| 업 | ㅇ+ㅓ+ㅂ | eop |
| 의 | ㅇ+ㅢ | ui |
| 수출이 | ||
| 수 | ㅅ+ㅜ | su |
| 출 | ㅊ+ㅜ+ㄹ | [추] chu |
| 이 | ㅇ+ㅣ | [리] ri |
| 크게 | ||
| 크 | ㅋ+ㅡ | keu |
| 게 | ㄱ+ㅔ | ge |
| 늘었다 | ||
| 늘 | ㄴ+ㅡ+ㄹ | [느] neu |
| 었 | ㅇ+ㅓ+ㅆ | [럳] reot |
| 다 | ㄷ+ㅏ | [따] da |
A ㅇ at the start of a syllable is silent; at the end of a syllable it sounds like “ng”.
Sound changes in this phrase
- Linking: when a syllable ending in a consonant (patchim) is followed by a syllable that starts with a vowel, the consonant moves over to the next syllable. 원에 → [워네]
- Tensing: after a final ㄱ, ㄷ or ㅂ sound, ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅅ and ㅈ become tense (ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅆ, ㅉ). 었다 → [얻따]
Politeness level of the example
Ends in -다. Common in proverbs, writing and the news, but not how you normally speak to the person in front of you.
Words in the example sentence
These words from the TOPIK vocabulary lists appear in the phrase (shown in dictionary form).
| Korean | Part of speech | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 정부 | noun | government | TOPIK level 4 |
| 수출 | noun | export | TOPIK level 4 |
| 크다 | adjective | big | TOPIK level 1 |
| 늘다 | verb | to increase, to improve (skill) | TOPIK level 3 |
Practice
Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.
Question 1 Choose the word that fits the blank: 정부의 지원____ 중소기업의 수출이 크게 늘었다.
Show the answer
Answer: 정부의 지원에 힘입어 중소기업의 수출이 크게 늘었다.
More grammar at this level
Learn this phrase by playing: typing drills and quizzes help it stick.
Practice in the gameRead this page in: 日本語 简体中文 繁體中文 Tiếng Việt Bahasa Indonesia Oʻzbekcha Монгол Français Español (México) ไทย