日本語道場 — Nihongo Dojo

～べく

~beku

in order to (formal)

When to use it

Use ～べく in written or formal spoken Japanese to state the purpose behind an action — the stiff, literary equivalent of ～ために or ～ように. It appears constantly in press releases, business reports, and formal email where a company explains why it is taking some measure. It is almost never used for one's own everyday plans in conversation; the following clause is typically a deliberate, weighty action.

Formation

Verbs: dictionary form + べく — 応える → 応えるべく, 図る → 図るべく
する verbs: classical すべく is the standard written form — 実現する → 実現すべく (するべく is possible but sounds less formal/literary)
来る: 来る → 来べく (extremely rare in modern use)
i-adjectives / na-adjectives / nouns: not used. Rephrase with a verb (例: 明確にすべく, 万全を期すべく)
The subject of the べく clause and the main clause must be the same; the main clause takes a volitional, controllable action
Related but distinct: ～べくもない (there is no way to…), ～べくして (as was to be expected)

Examples

In order to meet customer demands, we have put a new structure in place.
In order to cut manufacturing costs, we will merge the two plants.
With a view to reaching agreement early, we are reviewing the terms.
To win back the trust we lost, the whole company is implementing measures.
In order to respond to market changes, we will restructure next term.