전년 대비, 전월 대비: Decode CPI Headlines
Decode 전년 대비 & 전월 대비 in CPI headlines with a simple flowchart, collocations, and number drills—master

Use a ‘what’s being measured?’ flowchart to decode CPI·근원물가·PPI headlines and drill MoM/YoY phrasing so numbers don’t flip.
Today’s numbers (example)
Here are made-up headline-style numbers you’ll see in Korean.
소비자물가 3.1% 상승(전년 대비)sobijamulga 3.1% sangseung(jeonnyeon daebi) — CPI up 3.1% year-on-year.전월 대비 0.2% 상승jeonwol daebi 0.2% sangseung — up 0.2% month-on-month (not “this month vs last year”).전기요금 1만5천 원 인상jeongiyogeum 1man5cheon won insang — electricity bill up 15,000 won.
Reading tip: keep the comparison phrase glued to the number.
3.1%is read as삼 점 일 퍼센트sam jeom il peosenteu.0.2%is read as영 점 이 퍼센트yeong jeom i peosenteu.1만5천 원1man5cheon won is read as만오천 원manocheon won.
Quick cheat sheet
Expressions in this post
Common collocations
전년 대비 상승jeonnyeon daebi sangseung — up vs the same month last year전년 대비 하락jeonnyeon daebi harak — down vs the same month last year전년 대비 증가율/상승률jeonnyeon daebi jeunggayul/sangseungryul — YoY growth/increase rate전년 대비 둔화/가속jeonnyeon daebi dunhwa/gasok — YoY pace slows/speeds up전년 동월 대비jeonnyeon dowol daebi — same meaning, headline-friendly
Example sentences
소비자물가가 전년 대비 3.1% 상승했다.sobijamulgaga jeonnyeon daebi 3.1% sangseunghaetda. — CPI rose 3.1% year-on-year.전년 대비로 보면 오르긴 했지만 상승률은 둔화됐다.jeonnyeon daebiro bomyeon oreugin haetjiman sangseungryureun dunhwadwaetda. — It’s up YoY, but the pace slowed.전년 대비 수치만 보고 이번 달 흐름을 단정하긴 어렵다.jeonnyeon daebi suchiman bogo ibeon dal heureumeul danjeonghagin eoryeopda. — You can’t conclude this month’s trend from YoY alone.
Common collocations
전월 대비 상승/하락jeonwol daebi sangseung/harak — up/down vs last month전월 대비 변동jeonwol daebi byeondong — month-to-month change전월 대비 보합jeonwol daebi bohap — flat vs last month전월 대비 기준으로jeonwol daebi gijuneuro — on a MoM basis계절조정 후 전월 대비gyejeoljojeong hu jeonwol daebi — seasonally adjusted MoM
Example sentences
전월 대비 0.2% 상승으로 집계됐다.jeonwol daebi 0.2% sangseueuro jipgyedwaetda. — It was recorded as up 0.2% month-on-month.전월 대비는 작아 보여도 전년 대비는 클 수 있다.jeonwol daebineun jaga boyeodo jeonnyeon daebineun keul su itda. — MoM can look small while YoY is large.전월 대비 하락은 ‘이번 달이 지난달보다 싸졌다’는 뜻이다.jeonwol daebi harageun ‘ibeon dari jinandalboda ssajyeotda’neun tteusida. — A MoM drop means this month is cheaper than last month.
Common collocations
근원물가 상승률geunwonmulga sangseungryul — core inflation rate근원물가가 둔화되다/가속하다geunwonmulgaga dunhwadoeda/gasokhada — core inflation slows/speeds up근원물가 압력geunwonmulga apryeok — core inflation pressure근원물가 흐름/추세geunwonmulga heureum/chuse — core inflation trend근원물가 지표geunwonmulga jipyo — core inflation indicator
Example sentences
근원물가는 변동성이 큰 품목을 덜 반영한 지표로 자주 언급된다.geunwonmulganeun byeondongseoi keun pummogeul deol banyeonghan jipyoro jaju eongeupdoenda. — Core inflation is often cited as an indicator that reflects volatile items less.근원물가가 높게 나오면 ‘기조’에 대한 해석이 붙는 경우가 많다.geunwonmulgaga nopge naomyeon ‘gijo’e daehan haeseogi butneun gyeouga manda. — When core prints high, headlines often add an “underlying trend” interpretation.근원물가가 낮다고 해서 체감물가가 낮다는 뜻은 아니다.geunwonmulgaga natdago haeseo chegammulgaga natdaneun tteuseun anida. — A low core figure doesn’t mean people feel prices are low.
Collocation table
| Keyword | Verb/adjective it pairs with | Example |
|---|---|---|
전년 대비jeonnyeon daebi | 상승하다/하락하다sangseunghada/harakhada | 전년 대비 2.0% 상승jeonnyeon daebi 2.0% sangseung |
전월 대비jeonwol daebi | 보합이다/변동하다bohabida/byeondonghada | 전월 대비 보합jeonwol daebi bohap |
상승률sangseungryul | 둔화되다/가속하다dunhwadoeda/gasokhada | 상승률이 둔화됐다sangseungryuri dunhwadwaetda |
%p | 확대되다/축소되다hwakdaedoeda/chuksodoeda | 격차가 0.3%p 확대gyeokchaga 0.3%p hwakdae |
근원물가geunwonmulga | 높다/낮다nopda/natda | 근원물가가 높게 나왔다geunwonmulgaga nopge nawatda |
생산자물가(PPI)saengsanjamulga(PPI) | 오르다/내리다oreuda/naerida | 생산자물가가 전월 대비 하락saengsanjamulgaga jeonwol daebi harak |
Numbers drill
Read these out loud in Korean, then say what they mean in English.
3.1%—삼 점 일 퍼센트sam jeom il peosenteu — 3.1 percent0.2%—영 점 이 퍼센트yeong jeom i peosenteu — 0.2 percent-0.1%—마이너스 영 점 일 퍼센트maineoseu yeong jeom il peosenteu — minus 0.1 percent0.5%p—영 점 오 퍼센트포인트yeong jeom o peosenteupointeu — 0.5 percentage points15,000원15,000won —만오천 원manocheon won — 15,000 won
Next steps
- Take 10 real headlines from a Korean news app (I usually screenshot them on the subway), and underline only the comparator:
전년 대비jeonnyeon daebi vs전월 대비jeonwol daebi. - For each headline, label the basket in one word: CPI (
소비자물가sobijamulga), core (근원물가geunwonmulga), or PPI (생산자물가saengsanjamulga). If it’s missing, treat the headline as incomplete. - Do a “unit check” every time you see a number:
%(percent change) vs%p(percentage points). - Practice rewriting: turn one headline into two sentences—one for YoY and one for MoM—so you stop mixing the timelines.






