근원물가 vs 소비자물가: Core vs Headline CPI
Decode 근원물가 vs 소비자물가 and %p in Korean CPI headlines with a 2×2 grid, collocations, and drills—learn
1/1/2026, 7:27:20 AM
A ‘what moved?’ basket 2×2 grid plus % vs %p micro-drills makes 근원물가 headlines readable without overinterpreting policy signals.
Today’s numbers (example)
Here’s a generic “headline set” you might see in a Korea CPI story. Don’t memorize the numbers—practice reading them smoothly.
2.8%— read it as이 점 팔 퍼센트i jeom pal peosenteu (a rate)0.4%p— read it as영 점 사 퍼센트포인트yeong jeom sa peosenteupointeu (a difference between rates)₩4,300— read it as사천삼백 원sacheonsambaek won (a price level)
The quick habit: % answers “how big is the rate?” and %p answers “how much did one rate move vs another rate?”
‘What moved?’ 2×2 grid (headline noun finder)
Use this when a headline feels vague. First locate the noun bucket, then choose a neutral verb.
| Food & energy | Services & other | |
|---|---|---|
| Often volatile (headline drivers) | 농산물nongsanmul / 축산물chuksanmul / 수산물susanmul / 석유류seogyuryu | 외식oesik / 가공식품gagongsikpum / 의류uiryu |
| Often sticky (core-ish feel) | 전기·가스·수도jeongi·gaseu·sudo / 연료비yeonryobi | 개인서비스gaeinseobiseu / 집세jipse / 공공서비스gonggongseobiseu |
I learned this the hard way after misreading a short TV caption about 개인서비스gaeinseobiseu—it wasn’t “services got cheaper,” it was about the inflation pace inside that bucket.
Quick cheat sheet
Expressions in this post
#1economyLv 5
근원물가
geunwon-mulga
core inflation
Common collocations
근원물가 상승률geunwonmulga sangseungryul근원물가가 높다/낮다geunwonmulgaga nopda/natda근원물가가 둔화하다geunwonmulgaga dunhwahada근원물가가 견조하다geunwonmulgaga gyeonjohada근원물가 흐름geunwonmulga heureum
Example sentences
근원물가 상승률이 둔화했다.geunwonmulga sangseungryuri dunhwahaetda. — The core inflation rate slowed.근원물가 흐름은 아직 견조하다.geunwonmulga heureumeun ajik gyeonjohada. — The core inflation trend is still firm.근원물가는 식료품·에너지 변동을 덜 받는 편이다.geunwonmulganeun sikryopum·eneoji byeondoeul deol batneun pyeonida. — Core inflation tends to be less affected by food and energy swings.
근원물가 상승률이 둔화했다.
geunwonmulga sangseungryuri dunhwahaetda.
The core inflation rate slowed.
근원물가 흐름은 아직 견조하다는 평가가 나왔다.
geunwonmulga heureumeun ajik gyeonjohadaneun pyeonggaga nawatda.
There was an assessment that the core inflation trend is still firm.
근원물가가 내려서 물가가 끝났다는 말은 과장될 수 있다.
geunwonmulgaga naeryeoseo mulgaga kkeutnatdaneun mareun gwajangdoel su itda.
Saying “core inflation fell so inflation is over” can be an overstatement.
#2economyLv 4
소비자물가
sobija-mulga
headline CPI
Common collocations
소비자물가 상승률sobijamulga sangseungryul소비자물가가 오르다/내리다sobijamulgaga oreuda/naerida소비자물가가 확대되다/둔화하다sobijamulgaga hwakdaedoeda/dunhwahada소비자물가 지수(CPI)sobijamulga jisu(CPI)소비자물가 발표sobijamulga balpyo
Example sentences
소비자물가 상승률이 시장 예상치를 웃돌았다.sobijamulga sangseungryuri sijang yesangchireul utdoratda. — The headline CPI rate came in above market expectations.소비자물가는 유가 변동의 영향을 받을 수 있다.sobijamulganeun yuga byeondoui yeonghyaeul badeul su itda. — Headline CPI can be affected by oil price swings.소비자물가 발표 이후 관련주가 변동했다.sobijamulga balpyo ihu gwanryeonjuga byeondonghaetda. — After the CPI release, related stocks moved.
소비자물가 상승률이 예상치를 웃돌았다.
sobijamulga sangseungryuri yesangchireul utdoratda.
The headline CPI rate came in above expectations.
소비자물가 발표를 앞두고 시장이 관망했다.
sobijamulga balpyoreul apdugo sijai gwanmanghaetda.
Ahead of the CPI release, the market stayed on the sidelines.
소비자물가가 둔화했다보다는 소비자물가 상승률이 둔화했다가 자연스럽다.
sobijamulgaga dunhwahaetdabodaneun sobijamulga sangseungryuri dunhwahaetdaga jayeonseureopda.
“The CPI rate slowed” is more natural than “CPI slowed.”
#3economyLv 4
퍼센트포인트(%p)
peseonteu pointeu
percentage points
Common collocations
퍼센트포인트 상승/하락peosenteupointeu sangseung/harak전월 대비 0.3%pjeonwol daebi 0.3%p전년 대비 0.5%pjeonnyeon daebi 0.5%p격차가 0.2%p 벌어지다gyeokchaga 0.2%p beoreojida
Example sentences
상승률이 0.4%p 낮아졌다.sangseungryuri 0.4%p najajyeotda. — The rate is 0.4 percentage points lower.헤드라인과 근원의 격차가 0.2%p 벌어졌다.hedeuraingwa geunwonui gyeokchaga 0.2%p beoreojyeotda. — The gap between headline and core widened by 0.2 percentage points.0.4%와 0.4%p는 의미가 다르다.0.4%wa 0.4%pneun uimiga dareuda. — 0.4% and 0.4%p mean different things.
상승률이 0.5%p 낮아졌다.
sangseungryuri 0.5%p najajyeotda.
The rate is 0.5 percentage points lower.
격차가 0.2%p 벌어졌다.
gyeokchaga 0.2%p beoreojyeotda.
The gap widened by 0.2 percentage points.
0.5%와 0.5%p는 서로 바꿔 쓰면 안 된다.
0.5%wa 0.5%pneun seoro bakkwo sseumyeon an doenda.
You shouldn’t swap 0.5% and 0.5%p.
Collocation table
| Keyword | Verb/adjective it pairs with | Example |
|---|---|---|
근원물가geunwonmulga | 둔화하다dunhwahada / 견조하다gyeonjohada | 근원물가 상승률이 둔화했다.geunwonmulga sangseungryuri dunhwahaetda. |
소비자물가sobijamulga | 웃돌다utdolda / 하회하다hahoehada | 소비자물가 상승률이 예상치를 하회했다.sobijamulga sangseungryuri yesangchireul hahoehaetda. |
상승률sangseungryul | 낮아지다najajida / 높아지다nopajida | 상승률이 전월보다 낮아졌다.sangseungryuri jeonwolboda najajyeotda. |
상승세sangseungse | 진정되다jinjeongdoeda / 꺾이다kkeokkida | 상승세가 진정됐다.sangseungsega jinjeongdwaetda. |
상승폭sangseungpok | 확대되다hwakdaedoeda / 축소되다chuksodoeda | 상승폭이 축소됐다.sangseungpogi chuksodwaetda. |
격차gyeokcha | 벌어지다beoreojida / 좁혀지다jophyeojida | 격차가 좁혀졌다.gyeokchaga jophyeojyeotda. |
압력apryeok | 완화되다wanhwadoeda / 커지다keojida | 물가 상승 압력이 완화됐다.mulga sangseung apryeogi wanhwadwaetda. |
석유류seogyuryu | 급등하다geupdeunghada / 하락하다harakhada | 석유류 가격이 하락했다.seogyuryu gagyeogi harakhaetda. |
Numbers drill
Read 5 numbers out loud (Korean) + meaning in EN.
3.1%—삼 점 일 퍼센트sam jeom il peosenteu — a 3.1 percent rate. Neutral takeaway: the headline figure is reported as a rate.2.4%—이 점 사 퍼센트i jeom sa peosenteu — a 2.4 percent rate. Neutral takeaway: core and headline can differ without a “contradiction.”0.7%p—영 점 칠 퍼센트포인트yeong jeom chil peosenteupointeu — a 0.7 percentage-point gap/change. Neutral takeaway: use%pfor rate differences, not%.₩1,980—천구백팔십 원cheongubaekpalsip won — a price level in won. Neutral takeaway: a single price is not the same as an inflation rate.-0.2%p—마이너스 영 점 이 퍼센트포인트maineoseu yeong jeom i peosenteupointeu — a 0.2 percentage-point decline. Neutral takeaway: say the rate moved down, not that “prices fell.”
Next steps
- When you see
근원물가geunwonmulga, scan the article for what’s excluded or “less volatile,” then restate using상승률sangseungryul. - When you see
소비자물가sobijamulga, look for which bucket likely moved (농산물nongsanmul,석유류seogyuryu,개인서비스gaeinseobiseu) before guessing a story. - When you see
%p, rewrite one sentence with “the rate is X percentage points higher/lower” and keep it descriptive (no policy prediction).
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