Taiwanese units of measurement
Encyclopedia
Taiwanese 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
. In some cases these units are used exclusively, in some cases alongside official metric (SI)
units, and in other cases they have been supplanted by metric units. Linguistically
, practically all Taiwanese units of measure are Chinese classifiers used to classify
nouns.
remain in use.
derive from both traditional Dutch
and Japan
ese measurements. The principal unit of land measure, the kah, derives from the obsolete Dutch unit morgen
which was introduced in Taiwan's era of Dutch colonization; or from the Dutch word for "field", . The lê represented the area that could be farmed by one man with one ox and one plow in one day. The principal unit for measuring the floorspace of an office or apartment, the phêng (ping) derives from the Japanese tsubo
, and is the size of two sleeping (tatami) mats.
s and supermarket
s are typically measured with units derived from traditional Japanese units of measurement
.
Note the above differs from some same named Chinese units of measurement
.
Units of measurement
A unit of measurement is a definite magnitude of a physical quantity, defined and adopted by convention and/or by law, that is used as a standard for measurement of the same physical quantity. Any other value of the physical quantity can be expressed as a simple multiple of the unit of...
used in 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...
. Many of the units derive from Japanese units of measurement
Japanese 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...
and have similar names as Chinese units of measurement
Chinese units of measurement
Chinese 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...
but different conversions than in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
or 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...
. In some cases these units are used exclusively, in some cases alongside official metric (SI)
International System of Units
The International System of Units is the modern form of the metric system and is generally a system of units of measurement devised around seven base units and the convenience of the number ten. The older metric system included several groups of units...
units, and in other cases they have been supplanted by metric units. Linguistically
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
, practically all Taiwanese units of measure are Chinese classifiers used to classify
Classifier (linguistics)
A classifier, in linguistics, sometimes called a measure word, is a word or morpheme used in some languages to classify the referent of a countable noun according to its meaning. In languages that have classifiers, they are often used when the noun is being counted or specified...
nouns.
Length
Linear measure in Taiwan is largely metric but some units derived from traditional 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...
remain in use.
- 1 chhùn = 3.030 cm
- 1 chhioh = 10 chhùn = 30.30 cm
Area
Unlike with other measures, area continues to be almost exclusively measured with traditional rather than SI units. Taiwanese units of land measurementLand measurement
Land measurement is the general concept describing the application and theory of measurement of land. Land measurement is an integral quantitative element of Surveying....
derive from both traditional Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese measurements. The principal unit of land measure, the kah, derives from the obsolete Dutch unit morgen
Morgen
A morgen was a unit of measurement of land in Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and the Dutch colonies, including South Africa and Taiwan. The size of a morgen varies from 1/2 to 2½ acres, which equals approximately 0.2 to 1 ha...
which was introduced in Taiwan's era of Dutch colonization; or from the Dutch word for "field", . The lê represented the area that could be farmed by one man with one ox and one plow in one day. The principal unit for measuring the floorspace of an office or apartment, the phêng (ping) derives from the Japanese tsubo
Tsubo
Japanese words have the following meanings:*pressure point in the context of traditional medicine*a Japanese unit of measure*Cooking pot or a similar vessel...
, and is the size of two sleeping (tatami) mats.
- 1 phêng = 3.306 square meters
- 1 bó· = 30 phêng = 99.2 square meters
- 1 kah = 2934 phêng = 9699 square meters
- 1 lê = 5 kah = 14670 phêng = 48496 square meters
Mass
Packaged goods in Taiwan largely use metric measurements but bulk foodstuffs sold in wet marketWet market
A wet market is generally an open food market. Some of the common names include "Cultural Markets", "traditional markets", "Gaai Si", "Gaai See".-Terminology:...
s and supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
s are typically measured with units derived from traditional Japanese units of measurement
Japanese 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...
.
- 1 cash = 37.5 mg
- 1 candareenCandareenA candareen is a traditional measurement of weight in East Asia. It is equal to 10 cash and is 1/10 of a mace. It is approximately 378 milligrams. A troy candareen is approximately 374 milligrams....
= 10 cash = 375 mg - 1 maceMace (measurement)A mace is a traditional Chinese measurement of weight in East Asia that was also used as a currency denomination. It is equal to 10 candareens and is of a tael or approximately 3.78 grams. A troy candareen is approximately 3.74 grams. In Hong Kong, one mace is 3.779936375 gramme...
= 10 candareens = 3.75 gGramThe gram is a metric system unit of mass.... - 1 taelTaelTael 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....
= 10 mace = 37.5 gGramThe gram is a metric system unit of mass.... - 1 cattyCattyThe 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...
= 16 taels = 600 g - 1 picul = 100 catties = 60 kgKilogramThe 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...
Note the above differs from some same named Chinese units of measurement
Chinese units of measurement
Chinese 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...
.
See also
- 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...
- 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...
- Hong Kong units of measurementHong Kong units of measurementHong Kong units of measurement is based on the measurement units of Chinese of Qing Empire, British Imperial and metric. Both British Imperial and Chinese units were used until recently. In 1976 Hong Kong started the conversion to the metric system. This has now been almost completed with almost...