원화 강세 vs 환율 상승: Read KRW/USD headlines
Decode 원화 강세 and 환율 상승 with a KRW↔USD compass, headline rewrites, and number drills—master.
1/1/2026, 9:25:35 AM
A KRW↔USD direction compass + 1,250→1,330 drill trains 원화 강세/약세 so ‘환율 상승’ stops meaning the opposite in your head.
Today’s numbers (example)
Here’s a headline-style set of numbers you’ll see in Korean news, plus how to read them out loud:
원/달러 환율 1,330원won/dalreo hwanyul 1,330won — “One dollar is 1,330 won.” Read it:일 달러에 천삼백삼십 원il dalreoe cheonsambaeksamsip won.전일 대비 12원 상승jeonil daebi 12won sangseung — “Up 12 won vs yesterday.” Read it:전일 대비 십이 원 상승jeonil daebi sibi won sangseung.0.9% 상승0.9% sangseung — “Up 0.9%.” Read it:영점구 퍼센트 상승yeongjeomgu peosenteu sangseung.
Cultural note: the first time I saw the exchange-rate board at Incheon Airport, my brain did the exact flip this post fixes—“up” felt like “stronger” until I forced myself to say who got stronger.
Quick cheat sheet
Expressions in this post
#1economyLv 4
원화 강세
wonhwa gangse
KRW strength (won appreciation)
Common collocations
원화 강세wonhwa gangse기조gijo원화 강세wonhwa gangse전환jeonhwan원화 강세wonhwa gangse압력apryeok원화 강세wonhwa gangse요인yoin원화 강세가 이어지다wonhwa gangsega ieojida
Example sentences
원화 강세로 원/달러 환율이 하락했다.wonhwa gangsero won/dalreo hwanyuri harakhaetda. — The won strengthened, so USD/KRW fell.수입 물가에는 원화 강세가 부담을 덜어준다.suip mulgaeneun wonhwa gangsega budameul deoreojunda. — A stronger won can ease pressure on import prices.원화 강세라고 해서 항상 경기가 좋다는 뜻은 아니다.wonhwa gangserago haeseo hangsang gyeonggiga jotdaneun tteuseun anida. — A stronger won doesn’t automatically mean the economy is “doing great.”
원화 강세로 원/달러 환율이 하락했다.
wonhwa gangsero won/dalreo hwanyuri harakhaetda.
The won strengthened, so USD
원화 강세를 보면 “달러 1달러에 몇 원이야?”부터 다시 말해보자.
wonhwa gangsereul bomyeon “dalreo 1dalreoe myeot woniya?”buteo dasi malhaeboja.
KRW fell.
원화 강세라서 1달러가 싸졌다.
wonhwa gangseraseo 1dalreoga ssajyeotda.
When you see “won strength,” restate it as “How many won for $1?” first.
#2economyLv 4
달러 강세
dalleo gangse
USD strength
Common collocations
달러 강세dalreo gangse현상hyeonsang달러 강세dalreo gangse지속jisok달러 강세dalreo gangse국면gukmyeon달러 강세dalreo gangse배경baegyeong달러 강세로 (환율이) 오르다dalreo gangsero (hwanyuri) oreuda
Example sentences
달러 강세가 이어지면서 원/달러 환율이 상승했다.dalreo gangsega ieojimyeonseo won/dalreo hwanyuri sangseunghaetda. — As the dollar stayed strong, USD/KRW rose.달러 강세는 해외여행 비용 체감에 바로 나타난다.dalreo gangseneun haeoeyeohaeng biyong chegame baro natananda. — A strong dollar shows up quickly in travel costs.달러 강세라고 해서 원화 약세만 있는 건 아니다.dalreo gangserago haeseo wonhwa yakseman itneun geon anida. — “Dollar strength” doesn’t describe everything; it’s relative and context matters.
달러 강세가 이어지면서 원/달러 환율이 상승했다.
dalreo gangsega ieojimyeonseo won/dalreo hwanyuri sangseunghaetda.
As the dollar stayed strong, USD
달러 강세면 보통 원화 약세 쪽으로 같이 읽는다.
dalreo gangsemyeon botong wonhwa yakse jjogeuro gati ilneunda.
KRW rose.
달러 강세라는 말이 나오면 기준이 달러인지부터 확인한다.
dalreo gangseraneun mari naomyeon gijuni dalreoinjibuteo hwaginhanda.
If the dollar is strong, you usually read it alongside won weakness in a KRW context.
#3economyLv 4
환율 상승
hwan-yul sangseung
exchange rate up (more won per $1)
Common collocations
환율 상승hwanyul sangseung압력apryeok환율 상승hwanyul sangseung세se환율 상승hwanyul sangseung요인yoin환율 상승hwanyul sangseung우려uryeo환율 상승으로 (비용이) 늘다hwanyul sangseueuro (biyoi) neulda
Example sentences
원/달러 환율 상승은 원화 약세를 의미한다.won/dalreo hwanyul sangseueun wonhwa yaksereul uimihanda. — A rise in USD/KRW means the won is weaker.환율 상승으로 수입 원가가 커졌다.hwanyul sangseueuro suip wongaga keojyeotda. — The exchange-rate rise increased import costs.환율 상승hwanyul sangseung을 보면 먼저원/달러won/dalreo인지 확인하자. — When you see “exchange rate up,” first confirm it’s the USD/KRW quote (원/달러won/dalreo).
원/달러 환율이 상승했다.
won/dalreo hwanyuri sangseunghaetda.
USD
환율 상승이면 원화 약세로 같이 말하는 경우가 많다.
hwanyul sangseuimyeon wonhwa yaksero gati malhaneun gyeouga manda.
KRW rose (more won per $1).
1,250원에서 1,330원으로 올랐다는 달러 강세로 읽는다.
1,250woneseo 1,330woneuro olratdaneun dalreo gangsero ilneunda.
If the exchange rate rose, people often say it together with won weakness.
Collocation table
| Keyword | Verb/adjective it pairs with | Example |
|---|---|---|
원화 강세wonhwa gangse | 이어지다ieojida / 전환하다jeonhwanhada | 원화 강세가 이어지다.wonhwa gangsega ieojida. |
달러 강세dalreo gangse | 지속되다jisokdoeda / 확대되다hwakdaedoeda | 달러 강세가 지속되다.dalreo gangsega jisokdoeda. |
환율 상승hwanyul sangseung | 압력apryeok / 우려uryeo / 세se | 환율 상승 압력이 커지다.hwanyul sangseung apryeogi keojida. |
환율hwanyul | 오르다oreuda / 내리다naerida | 환율이 오르다/내리다.hwanyuri oreuda/naerida. |
원/달러 환율won/dalreo hwanyul | 상승하다sangseunghada / 하락하다harakhada | 원/달러 환율이 하락했다.won/dalreo hwanyuri harakhaetda. |
Numbers drill
Read these 5 out loud in Korean, then say who got stronger in one clean sentence.
1달러 1,250원 → 1,330원1dalreo 1,250won → 1,330won — Read:일 달러 천이백오십 원에서 천삼백삼십 원il dalreo cheonibaegosip woneseo cheonsambaeksamsip won — Meaning: the dollar got stronger; the won got weaker.1달러 1,340원 → 1,310원1dalreo 1,340won → 1,310won — Read:일 달러 천삼백사십 원에서 천삼백십 원il dalreo cheonsambaeksasip woneseo cheonsambaeksip won — Meaning: the won got stronger; the dollar got weaker.원/달러 환율 1,295원 (전일 대비 8원 하락)won/dalreo hwanyul 1,295won (jeonil daebi 8won harak) — Read:천이백구십오 원, 전일 대비 팔 원 하락cheonibaekgusibo won, jeonil daebi pal won harak — Meaning: won strength vs USD.원/달러 환율 1,360원 (0.7% 상승)won/dalreo hwanyul 1,360won (0.7% sangseung) — Read:천삼백육십 원, 영점칠 퍼센트 상승cheonsambaegyuksip won, yeongjeomchil peosenteu sangseung — Meaning: won weakness vs USD.장중 1,318원까지 상승 후 1,305원 마감jangjung 1,318wonkkaji sangseung hu 1,305won magam — Read:천삼백십팔 원까지 상승 후 천삼백오 원 마감cheonsambaeksippal wonkkaji sangseung hu cheonsambaego won magam — Meaning: intraday USD strength, then partial won recovery by close.
Next steps
- When you see
환율 상승/하락hwanyul sangseung/harak, force one extra clause: “So원화wonhwa is stronger/weaker.” - If a headline says
달러 강세dalreo gangse, ask “strong versus what?” then check whether the article is talking about KRW specifically. - Practice rewriting: convert any
환율 상승hwanyul sangseung headline into a sentence with원화 약세wonhwa yakse (and vice versa) until it feels automatic.
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