The Type 9 suffix -meH means "for the purpose of" or "in order to." It marks a clause that explains why something is being done. These purpose clauses always come before the noun or verb they describe.

• ja'chuqmeH rojHom neH jagh la' – The enemy commander wants a truce (in order) to confer.
  (ja'chuqmeH – in order to confer; rojHom – truce; neH – he/she wants it)
• jagh luHoHmeH jagh lunejtaH – They are searching for the enemy in order to kill him/her.
  (luHoHmeH – in order for them to kill him/her; lunejtaH – they are searching for him/her)

If the same noun appears in both the purpose clause and the main clause, it is usually repeated—just like in compound sentences. However, the second mention may be replaced by a pronoun or dropped entirely if context makes it clear:

• jagh luHoHmeH ghaH lunejtaH – They are searching for the enemy in order to kill him/her.
• jagh luHoHmeH lunejtaH – Same meaning, with the pronoun omitted.

More Examples

• jIpaSqu'mo' narghpu' qaSuchmeH 'eb – Because I'm very late, the opportunity to visit you has escaped.
  (qaSuchmeH 'eb – opportunity to visit you)
• qaSuchmeH jIpaSqu' – In order to visit you, I'll be very late.

Modifying Nouns with -meH

In addition to verbs, -meH clauses can also describe nouns. This use is especially useful for expressing ideas like “a task for explaining” or “a weapon for completing the mission.” In English, we often express this with phrases like “It is difficult to...” or “It is important to...” but Klingon uses nouns like Qu' ("task") to carry that purpose.

• Qatlh qechvam vIQIjmeH Qu' – The task for me to explain this idea is difficult.
  (Literally: "The in-order-that-I-explain-this-idea task is difficult.")
• Qu'vam ta'lu'meH nuH lugh wIvnISlu' – The correct weapon must be chosen to accomplish the mission.

This last sentence is slightly ambiguous in structure, but both possible interpretations mean the same thing.

In cases like these, English often hides the “task” idea behind phrases like “It is difficult to explain,” but Klingon makes the purpose explicit by including a noun like Qu' ("task"). This results in translations that may seem unusual but are grammatically precise in Klingon.

When used correctly, -meH is a powerful tool for describing goals, plans, and reasons behind actions. In many cases, using a purpose clause to modify a noun is the clearest and most idiomatic way to express complex ideas in Klingon.