Taiwanese units of measurement

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Taiwanese units of measurement (traditional Chinese: 台制; pinyin: Táizhì; Minnan: Tâi-chè) 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.

Contents 1 Length 2 Area 3 Volume 4 Mass 5 See also 6 External links

[edit] Length

Linear measure in Taiwan is largely metric but some units derived from traditional Japanese units of measurement remain in use.

• 1 chhioh (shaku, foot) (traditional Chinese: 尺; pinyin: chǐ; Minnan: chhioh) = 10 chhùn (inches) (traditional Chinese: 寸; pinyin: cùn; Minnan: chhùn) = 0.3030 meters

[edit] Area

Unlike with other measures, area continues to be almost exclusively measured with traditional rather than SI units. Taiwanese units of land measurement derive from both traditional Dutch and Japanese 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", akker. 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), like the Korean pyeong, derives from the Japanese tsubo, and is the size of one sleeping (tatami) mat.

• 1 kah (traditional Chinese: 甲; pinyin: jiǎ; Minnan: kah) = 5 lê = 2934 phêng = 9700 square meters
• 1 lê (traditional Chinese: 犁; pinyin: lí; Minnan: lê) = 587 phêng = 1940 square meters
• 1 bó· (traditional Chinese: 畝; pinyin: mǔ; Minnan: bó͘) = 30 phêng = 99.3 square meters
• 1 phêng (traditional Chinese: 坪; pinyin: píng; Minnan: phêng) = 3.306 square meters

[edit] Volume

Volume measure in Taiwan is largely metric.

This section requires expansion.

[edit] Mass

Packaged goods in Taiwan largely use metric measurements but bulk foodstuffs sold in wet markets and supermarkets are typically measured with units derived from traditional Japanese units of measurement.

• 1 tael (traditional Chinese: 兩; pinyin: liǎng; Minnan: niú) = 10 mace (traditional Chinese: 錢; pinyin: qián; Minnan: chîⁿ) = 100 candareens (traditional Chinese: 分; pinyin: fēn; Minnan: hun) = 1,000 cash (traditional Chinese: 文; pinyin: wén; Minnan: bûn) = 37.5 grams
• 1 catty (traditional Chinese: 斤; pinyin: jīn; Minnan: kin or kun) = 16 taels (traditional Chinese: 兩; pinyin: liǎng; Minnan: niú) = 600 grams
• 1 picul (traditional Chinese: 擔; pinyin: dàn; Minnan: tàⁿ) = 100 catties = 60 kg

[edit] See also

• Japanese units of measurement
• Chinese units of measurement

[edit] External links

• Weights and Measures in Use in Taiwan

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