Catty
Encyclopedia
The catty symbol 斤, is a traditional Chinese unit of mass
used across East
and Southeast Asia
, notably for weighing food and other groceries in some wet markets, street markets, and shops. Related units include the picul, equal to 100 catties, and the tael
, which is of a catty. A stone
is a former unit used in Hong Kong equal to 120 catties and a gwan (鈞) is 30 catties. The word catty originated from the Malay
word kati and that spelling is used in Malay and English today when referring to the weight in Malaysia, Singapore
, and Brunei
where it is still used in some contexts especially related to the significant Overseas Chinese
population.
The catty is traditionally equivalent to around 1⅓ pound avoirdupois, formalised as 604.78982 grammes in Hong Kong
, 604.79 grammes in Malaysia and 604.8 grammes in Singapore
. In some countries, the weight has been rounded to 600 grammes (Taiwan
and Thailand
). In mainland China
, the catty has been rounded to 500 grammes and is referred to as the market catty (市斤 shìjīn) in order to distinguish it from the "metric catty" (公斤 gōngjīn), or kilogram
, and it is subdivided into 10 taels rather than the usual 16.
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
used across East
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
and Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
, notably for weighing food and other groceries in some wet markets, street markets, and shops. Related units include the picul, equal to 100 catties, and the tael
Tael
Tael can refer to any one of several weight measures of the Far East. Most commonly, it refers to the Chinese tael, a part of the Chinese system of weights and currency....
, which is of a catty. A stone
Stone (Chinese mass)
Stone is the English word for a historical Chinese unit of mass. While the character "石" is normally pronounced shí , as a unit of measure it is pronounced dàn ....
is a former unit used in Hong Kong equal to 120 catties and a gwan (鈞) is 30 catties. The word catty originated from the Malay
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
word kati and that spelling is used in Malay and English today when referring to the weight in Malaysia, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, and Brunei
Brunei
Brunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia...
where it is still used in some contexts especially related to the significant Overseas Chinese
Overseas Chinese
Overseas Chinese are people of Chinese birth or descent who live outside the Greater China Area . People of partial Chinese ancestry living outside the Greater China Area may also consider themselves Overseas Chinese....
population.
The catty is traditionally equivalent to around 1⅓ pound avoirdupois, formalised as 604.78982 grammes in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, 604.79 grammes in Malaysia and 604.8 grammes in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. In some countries, the weight has been rounded to 600 grammes (Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
and Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
). In mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
, the catty has been rounded to 500 grammes and is referred to as the market catty (市斤 shìjīn) in order to distinguish it from the "metric catty" (公斤 gōngjīn), or kilogram
Kilogram
The kilogram or kilogramme , also known as the kilo, is the base unit of mass in the International System of Units and is defined as being equal to the mass of the International Prototype Kilogram , which is almost exactly equal to the mass of one liter of water...
, and it is subdivided into 10 taels rather than the usual 16.
See also
- Chinese units of measurementChinese units of measurementChinese units of measurement are the customary and traditional units of measure used in China. In the People's Republic of China, the units were re-standardised during the late 20th century to make them approximate SI units. Many of the units were formerly based on the number 16 instead of 10...
- Taiwanese units of measurementTaiwanese units of measurementTaiwanese units of measurement are the customary and traditional units of measure used in Taiwan. Many of the units derive from Japanese units of measurement and have similar names as Chinese units of measurement but different conversions than in China or Hong Kong...
- Japanese units of measurementJapanese units of measurement' is the traditional Japanese system of measurement. The name shakkanhō originates from the name of two of the units, the shaku, a unit of length, and the kan, a mass measurement.The system is Chinese in origin...
- Caddy (disambiguation)Caddy (disambiguation)Caddy or Caddie usually means caddy, a person who carries a golfer's bag of clubs, and/or selects a club for a golfer, and always must know all the rules and regulations of golf, and must be able to give the golfer in question advice on what club to use, and or what to do in any situation.It may...
- Tea caddyTea caddyA tea caddy is a box, jar, canister, or other receptacle used to store tea.The word is believed to be derived from catty, the Chinese pound, equal to about a pound and a third avoirdupois. The earliest examples that came to Europe were of Chinese porcelain, and approximated in shape to the...