에 의하면 (According to)

에 의하면 is a formal expression meaning "according to" or "based on." It's used to cite sources of information and attribute statements to others.

Structure

Pattern: [Source] + 에 의하면

Breakdown:

• 에: Particle (location/basis)
• 의하다: To be based on / To depend on
• -면: Conditional ending (if)

Literal meaning: "If based on [source]" → "According to [source]"

Basic Usage

With People

Pattern: [Person] + 에 의하면

Examples:

• 전문가에 의하면 (according to experts)
• 선생님에 의하면 (according to the teacher)
• 의사에 의하면 (according to the doctor)
• 그에 의하면 (according to him)
• 증인에 의하면 (according to the witness)

Full sentences:

• 전문가에 의하면 경제가 회복되고 있습니다 (According to experts, the economy is recovering)
• 의사에 의하면 건강에 문제가 없습니다 (According to the doctor, there's no health problem)
• 선생님에 의하면 시험이 어려울 거래요 (According to the teacher, the test will be difficult)

With Reports and Documents

Pattern: [Report/Document] + 에 의하면

Examples:

• 보고서에 의하면 (according to the report)
• 연구에 의하면 (according to the research)
• 조사에 의하면 (according to the survey)
• 기사에 의하면 (according to the article)
• 뉴스에 의하면 (according to the news)
• 통계에 의하면 (according to statistics)

Full sentences:

• 보고서에 의하면 매출이 증가했습니다 (According to the report, sales increased)
• 연구에 의하면 운동이 건강에 좋습니다 (According to research, exercise is good for health)
• 조사에 의하면 만족도가 높습니다 (According to the survey, satisfaction is high)

With Organizations

Pattern: [Organization] + 에 의하면

Examples:

• 정부에 의하면 (according to the government)
• 회사에 의하면 (according to the company)
• 경찰에 의하면 (according to the police)
• 기상청에 의하면 (according to the weather service)

Full sentences:

• 정부에 의하면 새 정책이 시행됩니다 (According to the government, a new policy will be implemented)
• 기상청에 의하면 내일 비가 옵니다 (According to the weather service, it will rain tomorrow)
• 경찰에 의하면 사고 원인은 과속입니다 (According to the police, the cause of the accident is speeding)

Alternative Forms

에 따르면 - According to

More common in modern Korean:

• Less formal than 에 의하면
• Same meaning
• More frequently used

Examples:

• 전문가에 따르면 (according to experts)
• 보고서에 따르면 (according to the report)
• 뉴스에 따르면 (according to the news)

Full sentences:

• 전문가에 따르면 기술이 발전하고 있습니다 (According to experts, technology is advancing)
• 보고서에 따르면 실적이 좋습니다 (According to the report, performance is good)

(으)로 - According to (Basis)

Very casual:

• Particle only
• Informal contexts
• Conversational

Examples:

• 뉴스로 (according to the news - casual)
• 친구 말로 (according to what my friend said - casual)

Comparing the Three

에 의하면:

• Most formal
• Written language
• Official documents
• News reports (formal)

에 따르면:

• Moderately formal
• More common
• News, reports
• Professional speech

(으)로:

• Casual
• Conversational
• Informal contexts

Sentence Patterns

Starting Sentence

Pattern: [Source]에 의하면, [Statement]

Examples:

• 전문가에 의하면, 이 방법이 효과적입니다 (According to experts, this method is effective)
• 연구에 의하면, 수면이 중요합니다 (According to research, sleep is important)
• 통계에 의하면, 인구가 증가하고 있습니다 (According to statistics, the population is increasing)

Mid-Sentence

Pattern: [Statement], [Source]에 의하면 [Detail]

Examples:

• 경제가 좋아지고 있는데, 전문가에 의하면 더 개선될 것입니다 (The economy is improving, and according to experts, it will improve further)

Multiple Sources

Can list multiple sources:

• 정부와 전문가에 의하면 (according to the government and experts)
• 연구 및 조사에 의하면 (according to research and surveys)

Related Expressions

에 따라 - According to / Depending on

Different meaning:

• 에 의하면: citing information source
• 에 따라: following rules/depending on conditions

Examples:

에 의하면 (citing):

• 법에 의하면 이것은 불법입니다 (According to the law, this is illegal)

에 따라 (following):

• 법에 따라 처벌받습니다 (Will be punished according to the law)

의 말에 의하면 - According to [person]'s words

More specific about speech:

• 선생님의 말에 의하면 (according to what the teacher said)
• 그의 말에 의하면 (according to what he said)

Examples:

• 전문가의 말에 의하면 이것이 최선입니다 (According to what the expert said, this is the best)

(이)라고 하다 - They say that

Indirect quotation:

• Less formal than 에 의하면
• Reporting what was said
• More conversational

Examples:

• 전문가가 효과적이라고 했어요 (The expert said it's effective)
• 뉴스에서 비가 온다고 했어요 (The news said it will rain)

Formality Levels

Very Formal (합니다체)

Pattern: [Source]에 의하면 [Statement]합니다/입니다

Examples:

• 보고서에 의하면 성과가 우수합니다 (According to the report, the performance is excellent)
• 전문가에 의하면 이 방법이 최선입니다 (According to experts, this method is best)

Polite (해요체)

Less common with 에 의하면:

• Usually paired with formal endings
• If using 해요, consider 에 따르면 instead

Examples:

• 보고서에 의하면 성과가 우수해요 (According to the report, performance is excellent - sounds slightly awkward)
• 보고서에 따르면 성과가 우수해요 (Better - more natural)

Written Style

Most common usage:

• Academic papers
• News articles
• Official reports
• Business documents

Common Contexts

News Reports

Very common in journalism:

• 경찰에 의하면 (according to police)
• 목격자에 의하면 (according to witnesses)
• 관계자에 의하면 (according to officials)

Examples:

• 경찰에 의하면 사고는 오전 10시에 발생했습니다 (According to police, the accident occurred at 10 AM)
• 목격자에 의하면 차량이 빨간 불에 진입했습니다 (According to witnesses, the vehicle entered on a red light)

Academic Writing

Citing research:

• 연구에 의하면 (according to research)
• 논문에 의하면 (according to the paper)
• 이론에 의하면 (according to theory)

Examples:

• 최근 연구에 의하면 기후 변화가 가속화되고 있습니다 (According to recent research, climate change is accelerating)
• Smith의 연구에 의하면 이 방법이 효과적입니다 (According to Smith's research, this method is effective)

Business Reports

Professional contexts:

• 시장 조사에 의하면 (according to market research)
• 분석에 의하면 (according to analysis)
• 예측에 의하면 (according to forecasts)

Examples:

• 시장 조사에 의하면 수요가 증가하고 있습니다 (According to market research, demand is increasing)
• 분석에 의하면 주가가 상승할 것입니다 (According to analysis, stock prices will rise)

Common Mistakes

❌ Incorrect: 친구에 의하면 (casual conversation)

Too formal for casual contexts

✅ Correct: 친구가 말하기를 / 친구 말로는

More natural for casual speech

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❌ Incorrect: 저에 의하면 (about yourself)

Don't cite yourself as source

✅ Correct: 제 생각에는 / 제가 보기에는

Use opinion expressions for yourself

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❌ Incorrect: 에 의하면을 사용해요 (redundant)

Don't need extra particle

✅ Correct: 에 의하면 사용합니다

에 의하면 already includes particle

Usage Tips

When to Use

Appropriate for:

• Formal writing
• News reports
• Academic papers
• Official documents
• Professional presentations
• Citing authoritative sources

Not appropriate for:

• Casual conversation
• Friendly emails
• Personal opinions
• Informal contexts

Choosing Between Alternatives

Use 에 의하면 when:

• Very formal context
• Official documents
• Legal writing

Use 에 따르면 when:

• Moderately formal
• News articles
• Business reports
• More common choice

Use -다고 하다 when:

• Conversational
• Informal reports
• Everyday speech

Summary Table

Expression	Formality	Context	Example
에 의하면	Very High	Official, legal	법에 의하면 불법입니다
에 따르면	High	News, reports	뉴스에 따르면 비가 옵니다
(으)로	Low	Casual speech	친구 말로 재미있대
-다고 하다	Low-Medium	Everyday	뉴스에서 비 온다고 했어요
의 말에 의하면	High	Citing speech	전문가의 말에 의하면

Key point: 에 의하면 is a formal expression for citing sources, most commonly used in written and professional contexts. For casual conversation, use simpler alternatives like -다고 하다 or -래요.