How to Measure Length, Weight and Area in Japanese

It is well-known that the Japanese counting system is very complicated because you have to change how to count depending on objects such as 個こ, 本ほん, and つ. When it comes to how to measure, that’s simpler but you need to know which units Japanese people use, such as yards and meters, and how to say them in Japanese. That’s what you will learn here.

Japanese Measurement System for Length, Weight and Area

Japanese Basic Number System

As you can see the above, 4 can either be 「よん」 or 「し」 and 7 can either be 「なな」 or 「しち」. It is said that the reason why there are 2 ways is to avoid misleading your listeners by ambiguous sounds such as 「いち」 Vs 「しち」. And also, 「し」 is the same sound as 「死し (death)」. If you count 4 people as 「しにん」, it can be 「死し人にん (dead person)」. Therefore, when you count people, 「し」is never used. Although there are some exceptional situations, people prefer to use 「よん」and 「なな」 in general.

How to Measure Length in Japanese

We use the metric system in Japan. As the chart indicates, when you use “cm” and “km” the めーとる is usually omitted. Also, contractions sometimes occur between numbers and units when the beginning sound of unit is an unvoiced sound.

Converter among Meter, Yard, and Feet

How to Measure Weight in Japanese

Pay attention to whether the beginning sound of the unit is an unvoiced sound such as [k], [s], [t], [h], and [p]. Once you get used to these contractions, you’ll have an easier time with counters.

Converter among Kilogram, Ounce, and Pound

How to Measure Area in Japanese

Square meter and square kilometer are translated into Japanese as 「平方へいほうメートル」 and 「平方へいほうキロメートル」. However, there is another word 「平米へいべい」which is same as 「平方へいほうメートル」. In spoken Japanese, people prefer to use 「平米へいべい」 to 「平方へいほうメートル」 because it’s shorter. Moreover, there are Japanese unique measurement systems for area which are  (unfortunately) still often used in everyday life. They are as  follows.

Converter among Square Meter, Square Yard, Square Feet, 畳じょう and 坪つぼ

Conclusion

When it comes to measurements, we think that getting used to them makes a difference. If you have difficulty at first, you may want to utilize a converter application for the time being. In any case, please try to keep using the Japanese measurements.

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