diff --git a/pkg/printers/internalversion/describe.go b/pkg/printers/internalversion/describe.go
index c96da7843482e..40f6a4e03c8b5 100644
--- a/pkg/printers/internalversion/describe.go
+++ b/pkg/printers/internalversion/describe.go
@@ -2830,13 +2830,13 @@ func describeHorizontalPodAutoscaler(hpa *autoscaling.HorizontalPodAutoscaler, e
 						hpa.Status.CurrentMetrics[i].External.CurrentAverageValue != nil {
 						current = hpa.Status.CurrentMetrics[i].External.CurrentAverageValue.String()
 					}
-					w.Write(LEVEL_1, "%q:\t%s / %s\n", metric.External.MetricName, current, metric.External.TargetAverageValue.String())
+					w.Write(LEVEL_1, "%q (target average value):\t%s / %s\n", metric.External.MetricName, current, metric.External.TargetAverageValue.String())
 				} else {
 					current := "<unknown>"
 					if len(hpa.Status.CurrentMetrics) > i && hpa.Status.CurrentMetrics[i].External != nil {
 						current = hpa.Status.CurrentMetrics[i].External.CurrentValue.String()
 					}
-					w.Write(LEVEL_1, "%q:\t%s / %s\n", metric.External.MetricName, current, metric.External.TargetValue.String())
+					w.Write(LEVEL_1, "%q (target value):\t%s / %s\n", metric.External.MetricName, current, metric.External.TargetValue.String())
 
 				}
 			case autoscaling.PodsMetricSourceType:
diff --git a/pkg/printers/internalversion/printers.go b/pkg/printers/internalversion/printers.go
index 197a8ddbdc874..56feeaff3ae57 100644
--- a/pkg/printers/internalversion/printers.go
+++ b/pkg/printers/internalversion/printers.go
@@ -1497,7 +1497,7 @@ func formatHPAMetrics(specs []autoscaling.MetricSpec, statuses []autoscaling.Met
 				if len(statuses) > i && statuses[i].External != nil && statuses[i].External.CurrentAverageValue != nil {
 					current = statuses[i].External.CurrentAverageValue.String()
 				}
-				list = append(list, fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s", current, spec.External.TargetAverageValue.String()))
+				list = append(list, fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s (avg)", current, spec.External.TargetAverageValue.String()))
 			} else {
 				current := "<unknown>"
 				if len(statuses) > i && statuses[i].External != nil {
diff --git a/pkg/printers/internalversion/printers_test.go b/pkg/printers/internalversion/printers_test.go
index 1f6f16b5135af..474e599a3ea2c 100644
--- a/pkg/printers/internalversion/printers_test.go
+++ b/pkg/printers/internalversion/printers_test.go
@@ -2200,7 +2200,7 @@ func TestPrintHPA(t *testing.T) {
 					DesiredReplicas: 5,
 				},
 			},
-			"some-hpa\tReplicationController/some-rc\t<unknown>/100m\t2\t10\t4\t<unknown>\n",
+			"some-hpa\tReplicationController/some-rc\t<unknown>/100m (avg)\t2\t10\t4\t<unknown>\n",
 		},
 		// external source type, target average value
 		{
@@ -2247,7 +2247,7 @@ func TestPrintHPA(t *testing.T) {
 					},
 				},
 			},
-			"some-hpa\tReplicationController/some-rc\t50m/100m\t2\t10\t4\t<unknown>\n",
+			"some-hpa\tReplicationController/some-rc\t50m/100m (avg)\t2\t10\t4\t<unknown>\n",
 		},
 		// external source type, target value (no current)
 		{