用来
Reach for 用来 when you want to say what something is used for — its function. 'This app is used to find friends.' 'This knife is used for cutting fruit.' It always sits between the subject (the tool) and a verb phrase (what you do with it). Useful for describing tools, apps, machines, ingredients, or any object whose purpose you want to make explicit.
Structure
[OBJECT] 是 用来 [VERB PHRASE] 的
yònglái
How to Think About It
用来 packages the object's purpose in one compact phrase: 用 (use) + 来 (in order to). The 是...的 frame around it is what tells the listener you're describing function, not action. Without 是...的, the sentence can still work but feels half-finished. The verb after 用来 is what the object DOES, not what someone does TO the object.
Examples
这把刀是用来切水果的。
Zhè bǎ dāo shì yònglái qiē shuǐguǒ de.
This knife is used for cutting fruit.
这个软件是用来学中文的。
Zhège ruǎnjiàn shì yònglái xué zhōngwén de.
This app is used for learning Chinese.
这些钱是用来买礼物的。
Zhèxiē qián shì yònglái mǎi lǐwù de.
This money is for buying gifts.
Common Mistake
Learners drop the 是...的 frame, copying English 'This is used to...'. In Chinese, the function description usually wears both 是 at the front and 的 at the end to feel complete and natural.
这个手机用来打电话。
这个手机是用来打电话的。
Don't Confuse With
用 + Tool + Verb
Means 'use TOOL to do something' — focused on the action. '我用筷子吃饭' (I use chopsticks to eat). 用来 instead labels the object's purpose: '筷子是用来吃饭的' (Chopsticks are for eating).
为了……
Means 'in order to', explaining the purpose of an ACTION, not an object. '为了学中文，我搬到了北京' (I moved to Beijing in order to learn Chinese). Use 用来 only for the function of a thing.
可以……
Means 'can / is able to'. '这个软件可以找朋友' just says the app can find friends; '这个软件是用来找朋友的' says that's specifically what it was designed for.
Practice
这个杯子是____来喝水的。
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用
这本书是用来学习____。
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的
Put in order: [是 / 这个房间 / 的 / 用来 / 开会]
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这个房间是用来开会的。
Translate to Chinese: 'This pen is used for writing letters.'
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这支笔是用来写信的。
Write one sentence describing what an app on your phone is used for, with 用来.
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Example answer: 微信是用来跟朋友聊天的。 (WeChat is used for chatting with friends.)
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode: